


You're Pawsitively Purrfect

by Raequaza



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - College/University, Barista! Lance, Barista! Matt, Cat Cafe, Crushes, English Major! Keith, F/M, Fashion Designer! Lance, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Meddling, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-03
Updated: 2017-12-31
Packaged: 2018-11-22 16:33:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 43,568
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11384079
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Raequaza/pseuds/Raequaza
Summary: |Lance perked up at this. “That’s perfect!”“Is it?” Keith wasn’t sure what Lance was so excited about.Lance slapped his palms on the table. “Yes! Okay, here me out. You know how Matt and Shiro are crushing hard on each other right? Well, my roomie has been crushing on the girl he sits beside for nearly a year now. So I thought, why not kill two birds with one stone? There’s this great club I go to, and it’s tradition for me to go one last time before I buckle down for finals.”|Keith and cats don't get along, but when his best friend Shiro brings him to a cat cafe, he can't help but find a reason to keep going back.Follow Keith and Lance as they get to know each other, meddle in their friends' love lives and maybe, just maybe, fall in love with each other.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Soooooooo I know I should be writing Artificial Love....but this idea wouldn't leave me alone, so here it is!
> 
> This is more of a back-burner fic, and mostly for when Artificial Love gets a little too angsty for me. Ideally there will be little to know angst in this, and all cute fluff, but I can't promise anything!
> 
> Hope this is enjoyable at least! I know its a bit rush and kind of an info dump for this first chapter, but hopefully it's not too bad. I know the summary is garbage, but I'm awful at them!
> 
> Eternally grateful to my beta, callmesinpai, as she always motivates my ass to do things.
> 
> Enjoy!

“Shiro, I know I said that I wanted to see you embarrass yourself in front of your crush, but you _failed_ to mention that we would have to do that at six-thirty in the morning!!”

Keith Kogane shot a scowl at his best friend and roommate, Takashi ‘Shiro’ Shirogane. They had been friends since before Keith could even remember, and Shiro had always been like a brother to him. So when Shiro had shyly mentioned that he was crushing on a cute barista at a café he frequented, Keith had wanted to watch his normally calm and collected best friend become a flustered mess. Because that’s what best friends do. He also wanted to help get Shiro’s ass in gear about asking this barista out finally. Shiro said he’s been infatuated for the better part of a year.

When Shiro had asked him if he wanted to go for coffee to finally see this mysterious barista, Keith jumped at the chance. However, Keith was not a morning person, and had not signed up to leaving the apartment at six in the morning. The café wasn’t in walking distance, so they had to take the subway-which to Keith’s dismay was surprisingly pretty full, and then walk another ten minutes. They still had another five more minutes before they even got to the street it was on, and the lack of sleep plus the lack of coffee was already getting to Keith.

Shiro just laughed. “If I had said we would have to be there before seven in the morning, you wouldn’t have come.”

Keith couldn’t really deny that, so he diverted the question. “But _why_ does it have to be before seven? Or even before, eight in the morning!? Why couldn’t we have gone in the evening or something?”

“I already told you, the shop opens at six thirty, the rush starts at seven thirty, and the café closes at five.”

“So why couldn’t we go at like noon or something?”

“Uh, because you _work_ last time I checked. I don’t think your boss would appreciate you missing work just to go for coffee with me,” Keith could see a light flush grace Shio’s cheeks; he had purposely left out the part about Keith ‘meeting’ Shiro’s crush. “And after work you have class.”

Keith rolled his eyes. “I do have days off you know.”

“Yes, and they are the exact same, so that won’t work either.”

Keith sighed loudly. He did want to go, but he also still wanted to sleep until he absolutely _had_ to be up for work. The company he worked for was strict about everything, and pushed his limits, so sleeping well beforehand was essential. He mostly worked as an errand boy for the journalists, but occasionally he was able to help out on editing. Keith was in school for literature, and wanted to be an author one day. However, he was a long way off from that goal, and it was a real honor that he had been selected to work for the magazine at all, so he dealt with the heavy workloads in the short amount of time he was at work.

Right after work he had classes. He only had four in total, two a day, but they were each three hours long. His normal schedule was get up, go to work, go to class, go home. Occasionally he stopped off at the gym or the library, but that was becoming few and far in between on work and school days. He was thankful that his boss was kind enough to at least grant him his days off when he didn’t have school to worry about.

Keith nearly collided with Shiro when he suddenly stopped in front of a large wooden door. Keith groggily stared at the shops name for a few minutes before the realization of where they were about to go really set in.

 “Shiro…” The café was called The Five Lions. While the name was offsetting for Keith, it was the descriptor on the banner on the awning that bothered Keith. “You didn’t tell me this was a _cat café!!_ ”

There were very few things in this world that unnerved Keith, but cats were one of them. Its not that he hated them, rather it seemed like every cat he had ever encountered despised him for no reason that Keith could determine. He had tried everything he could thing of, even reading every cat care book he could get his hands on, but to no avail. Keith had no luck with cats, and thus tended to stay very far away from them.

Keith turned to leave as fast as he could. It was one thing that Shiro had gotten him up so early just to finally see his crush, that he could accept, but this was absolutely not happening. Shiro grabbed him by the collar, halting him in place. “Keith please, you said you’d come with me!”

“That was before I knew there were gonna be cats involved. So you go, have fun with your cats and your crush, but I am going to the café down the road that has coffee and no cats!” Keith struggled to tear himself away from Shiro’s vice-like grip.

“I promise you that you don’t have to interact with any cats; they will probably avoid you anyway. You can sit on a really comfy couch, I will bring you coffee, and you can laugh when I become an absolute mess at the counter. Just, please?” Shiro pleaded.

Keith turned to look at his roommate, and caved once he saw the older man try and use puppy-dog eyes. They didn’t work at all, and frankly Keith thought Shiro looked ridiculous. But he also knew that if Shiro was desperate enough to use that look, it was because Keith going with him meant a lot.

“Fine. But if even one cat starts hissing and growling at me, I’m outta here.”

Shiro smiled widely. “Thank you, Keith. Means a lot to me, buddy.”

“Yeah yeah, let’s just get this over with. You’re buying me coffee by the way, and a muffin.” Keith stated as he pushed past Shiro to enter the doors.

Entering a café, Keith expected the standard counter and tables. This is not when he encountered when he entered through the doors. There was a large wooden desk with a till against a wall. On either side of the desk were wooden doors, presumably leading to the actual café part. The reception area threw Keith off enough that he froze in place.

Shiro laughed lightly behind him, and pushed past to the tall man seated behind the counter. “Morning, Coran!”

“Ah Shiro! Here again I see!” The man chirped happily. Keith didn’t even know it was possible to sound that cheery before nine in the morning. “And I see you brought a friend with you today!”

“Yes, this is my best friend and roommate, Keith. Keith this is Coran, he’s one of the owners of The Five Lions.”

The ginger-haired man extended a hand, which Keith took to shake after one of Shiro’s signature dad looks that he gave with when Keith was being rude. “Nice to meet you.”

“And you as well, Keith! Nice to see Shiro bring someone to our fine establishment,” Coran turned to Shiro. “So, how long will you be staying for today?”

“An hour max. Keith has to work today, and I don’t want to take all his time.”

“Righty-o! That will be a grand total of twenty dollars!” Coran said, clicking away at his till. Shiro handed over cash, not batting an eye, while Keith was a little floored. He said nothing, and was handed a small print out with a time stamp on it. “I’ve adjusted the time to the nearest hour, to make it a little easier to track.”

Shiro smiled as he pocketed his slip. “Thanks Coran.”

The man settled back on his stool, waving as Shiro pulled Keith in the door to the left of the desk. Inside was what looked more like what Keith had initially expected. The café in itself was huge, and very spaced out. The only thing that was offsetting to Keith was the amount of cat décor and furniture about. There was a couple of middle-aged women who were cooing at a tabby cat on one of the many cat trees in the room. To the right against huge windows were very plush looking couches that were calling Keith’s name. There didn’t seem to be any cats around either than the tabby he had already seen.

Keith turned to look at his friend directly, who was facing the counter of the café. “Hey Shiro, I’m gonn-nngh!!”

He wasn’t sure what noise just came out of his mouth, but he really hoped Shiro wasn’t paying close enough attention to notice how embarrassing that sounded. But he honestly couldn’t help it when he looked over at the counter. Behind the glass partition protecting the counter was the most beautiful boy that Keith had ever seen in his life-and he had seen a lot of pretty boys in his life. Tall-but not taller than Shiro-with broad shoulders, soft brown hair that looked silky even from where Keith was rooted to the spot, and sun-kissed skin that elevated the boy’s general radiance. The young man in question was cheerfully taking an older man’s order, smiling brightly as the man slowly explained what he wanted.

His brain stopped working and he could help but stare. He stared until he remembered why exactly he was at this café in the first place. Because his best friend wanted Keith to see his crush. His crush who is a barista and was working today. Cursing under his breath, he tore his eyes away from the Adonis in a kitty-ear cap. “I’m going to sit on that couch. Bring me coffee when you’re finished mooning.”

Keith stalked off towards the couch near the door marked exit before Shiro could say anything. Unfortunately, it was the one right across from the counter so he couldn’t avoid looking at the barista, but at least this way he’d be able to safely watch Shiro make a fool of himself in front of his crush without being as distracted himself.

It was so unfair, that Shiro had encountered this guy first. Keith wouldn’t say he had a type, but he absolutely could recognise beauty when he saw it, and this boy was stunning. Shiro was lucky, and he couldn’t believe that the guy had no clue that Shiro was into him; especially since Shiro mentioned he didn’t think his crush was straight. He didn’t know anyone that wouldn’t date Shiro, himself barely excluded. They were like brothers, so that would be weird, but if they weren’t that close, then yeah Keith probably wouldn’t say no; Shiro was like sex on legs and one of the kindest souls Keith knew.

Keith sighed and watched as Shiro made his way to the counter. He couldn’t see Shiro’s face well from his position, but was too stubborn to move. The boy smiled even brighter when he noticed it was Shiro, and started talking animatedly Shiro when he made it to the glass. Keith pulled up his phone and focused his attention on one of his research sites; he was too far gone to even try and make fun of his friend, so he might as well get some work done while he was waiting. He’d tease Shiro later.

 

 

Shiro frowned when he looked to the counter. He knew everyone that worked at the café since he came here often, but the brunette behind the counter was not the person he expected to see on a Tuesday morning. He briefly heard Keith make a strange noise then mutter something about going to sit down, but didn’t acknowledge him verbally. So much for his plans of getting Keith to meet his crush. If he wasn’t working, there wasn’t anything he could do. Still, he promised his friend coffee, so coffee was definitely happening. Besides, there was another reason that Shiro came to this café besides a cute barista.

The barista smiled widely when he noticed Shiro approach. “Shiro! Hey, good morning!”

“Morning, Lance,” He scratched the back of his neck. “Is…Matt not working today?”

Lance’s face dropped into a pitying smile. “Yeah, he called in sick yesterday. Sorry man. I know you mostly come here to see him.”

Shiro flushed. “Well, guess it can’t be helped. Hope he feels better…”

“I’ll let him know~” Lance waggled his eyebrows before chuckling slightly. “You know, if you just asked for his number you probably wouldn’t have had to come all the way over here for nothing.”

“S’not nothing…entirely.” Shiro mumbled.

Lance snorted and shook his head. “You are so far gone. Just ask him out already!! You’re killin me here!”

“Not just you!” A voice called from the back.

Shiro groaned. “You too, Allura?”

The dark-skinned woman popped her head out from the kitchen doors. “You really should just ask him on a date, Shiro. What’s the worst that could happen? He says no?”

It was always the same thing if Shiro came by when Matt wasn’t around. And even sometimes when he was. Allura and Lance teased him relentlessly about his crush on Matt, and always insisted that he should just tell the other boy how he felt. Still, Shiro couldn’t just bring himself to do it. If Matt did reject him, then it would be awkward going to the café, and he really did enjoy it for other reasons either than seeing Matt. “Maybe one day…”

Allura rolled her eyes and ducked back into the kitchen. Lance sighed. “So, the usual for you…and what can I get for your…friend?”

The slight flush gracing Lance’s cheeks piqued Shiro’s interest. He glanced behind himself to see Keith paying absolutely no attention to him and staring hard as his phone-like he was purposely trying not to look their way. He looked back to Lance who seemed to be staring at his friend before noticing Shiro was looking and cleared his throat, snapping his gaze away.

Shiro smirked. “Oh? See something you like, Lance?”

“Pfft, no! I was just wondering who has a mullet now-a-days. Talk about lame!”

“Uh huh.” Shiro gave him a knowing smile. “He’ll have just a medium black coffee. And…a meowsberry muffin.”

“You got it.” Lance read him the total and Shiro forked over the cash. The café was a little more expensive than most, but a good portion went to the cats themselves, and the rest went back into the café itself.

“Hey Lance, I have to run to the bathroom really quick. Think you could do me a huge favor and bring my order to the table my friend is at? He gets grumpy the longer he has to wait for coffee.” Shiro gave Lance the most innocent smile possible.

“I mean…I would…but like I can’t leave the counter?”

Allura chose that moment to step out from the kitchen. “Oh, I don’t mind watching the counter for a few moments. It doesn’t hurt to help out one of our best customers.”

She batted her eyelashes at Lance, who just made a whining sound and turned to make Shiro’s order. Allura winked at Shiro and ushered him along. She had heard most of the conversation they had just exchanged and wanted to see Lance interacting with this friend of Shiro’s. Shiro smiled and headed off towards the washrooms. Keith wouldn’t even notice he was gone until Lance was over there.

 

Keith was pretty sure he had read the same sentence about five times. He knew Shiro was probably awkwardly flirting and that’s what was taking his friend so long. He wanted to look up, but knew if he did, he’d get distracted by the barista and he really didn’t need that in his life. He was already contemplating how he was going to handle when Shiro brought him to their apartment; after he grew a pair and finally asked the boy out that was. Running away and hiding seemed to be the best option he had.

There was a light shift beside him, and Keith glanced over. Beside him on the couch was a reddish cat. It’s ears were flat against it’s hair and it’s yellow eyes seeming to bore holes right into him; like it was judging his presence on the couch. He instinctively moved as far away from the cat as he could, so he was pushed up against the armrest. He watched it’s fluffy tail flick agitatedly. It wasn’t growling at him yet, but Keith figured that was only a matter of time.

A low whistle sounded in front of him. “Wow, I don’t think I’ve ever seen Red get so close to someone before.”

Keith turned to look at the commentator and was shocked to see the gorgeous barista in front of him. He had a tray containing two piping hot mugs of coffee, and one muffin. “Uh…?"

“The cat, dude. Her name is Red. Well, it’s _technically_ Red Devil, but my boss hates that name. Still, this is the closest she’s gotten to anyone since she was brought here.” The barista put down the drinks and muffin at the low table in front of Keith. “You must be some cat whisperer to get her to even come near you. Or maybe your natural magnetism works on cats too.” He winked, and Keith was sure he had a heart attack right then.

“R-Right. Um…not really fond of cats actually…they tend to…not like me…” Keith mumbled, keeping an eye on the cat to his right.

“Coulda fooled me!” The barista laughed and Keith just wanted the couch to swallow him. How could someone look that great and have that cute of a laugh!? The world wasn’t fair. He must have done something to piss off a deity or something, because there was no reason for life to be this cruel to him right now otherwise. There was a soft mew and Keith glanced down to look at a new cat that wandered over to them. It was grey in colour and rubbing up against the barista’s leg, crying up at him with wide green eyes. “Aww, Blue! I can’t stay and play yet, baby girl.”

The cat quietly mewed back at him, and he couldn’t help but lean down and scoop up the cat in his arms. She seemed to be quite happy where she was, purring and snuggling right up against the barista’s chest. Keith was going to die. In his obituary, they would write that the cause of death was cuteness overload. He may not be fond of cats, but even he couldn’t deny their adorableness. Pair that with a boy who was too gorgeous to even be real, and you have one dead gay twenty-year old English major.

“So, how do you know Shiro?” Keith jolted at the question, too caught up staring to even notice that the boy was looking straight at him; ocean blue eyes questioning.

Keith cleared his throat and occupied most of his attention with the coffee Shiro had purchased for him. “Best friends since we were kids…now roommates on top of that.”

“I guess he brought you here to see Matt then, since he’s such a dork and won’t ask the boy out! It’s actually embarrassing.”

Keith blinked, eyes moving back to the barista in front of him. “Oh um…?”

“What’s the matter? Cat got your tongue?” He teased. At no response, the barista cocked his head to the side, trying to figure out what Keith was getting at. He laughed when he realized what Keith might be trying to say. “Ah we all know about Shiro’s major crush on our dear Matt, all except Matt of course. It’s painful really, since they’re both so obviously into each other. But don’t tell Shiro that though, he needs to learn that on his own.” The boy extended the hand that didn’t have a cat in it towards Keith. “I’m Lance, by the way.”

Keith took it-why was this boy so warm!?-and shook it lightly. “Keith.”

“Nice to meet ya! Tell me, does he talk about Matt at home?”

Keith snorted. “If you count whining about how cute he is all the time as talking, then yes.”

“Keith!! Don’t tell him that! I thought we were friends!” Shiro’s voice called from Keith’s left.

Keith turned with a shit eating grin on his face, only to quickly drop it for wide-eyes and a look of horror. “Jesus Christ what the hell do you have on your shoulders!?”

Shiro reached up and pet the black fluffy mass on his shoulders. “A cat? His name is Noir. He’s the other reason I come here.”

“Aside from mooning over Matt, he means.” Lance piped in.

Shiro scowled, though the blush on his cheeks was less threatening. “Shouldn’t you be getting back to work now, Lance?”

Lance stuck his tongue out at Shiro and with a sigh he extracted the snuggly cat from his arms. “I’ll come by and play with you later, baby girl.” He made kissy noises at the cat as he gently set her down on the ground. “Well, nice meeting you again. Hope you stop by some other time.”

With that, Lance turned and headed back towards his counter. Keith opted to just wave, as he didn’t think that he would be able to form words after looking at the back of Lance’s retreating figure. He had been staring too long, or so he imagined since Shiro had to snap his fingers in front of his face. Keith looked up and then recoiled at the closeness of the mass on Shiro’s shoulders. He pushed himself as far back on the couch as he could. “Seriously Shiro, that is not a cat. I’m pretty sure that is a wild animal and it belongs in a zoo or something.”

The cat in question was the biggest cat that Keith had ever seen. Shiro had broad shoulders, but this cat didn’t even fit on them! It was hanging down, comfortably lounging like he belonged there. Shiro pouted lightly as he sat down on one of the plush chairs next to the couch. “No, he’s a Maine Coon cross. He’s just a big kitty, with a big heart. Aren’t you, buddy?”

Shiro scratched behind the cat’s ears, causing a deep rumbling purring to emanate from the cat. Keith still wasn’t positive that was an actual cat, but he wasn’t going to question it. He glanced over to the couch, and Red was still there, still looking like she wanted to rip Keith’s throat out. Keith sipped his coffee slowly, trying not to mind the cats, and definitely not checking out Lance behind the glass.

“Sooooooo, Lance huh?” Shiro seemed to be smiling way too much.

Keith huffed. “Shut up, Shiro.”

“Aw come on! I think it’s cute. He is pretty attractive.”

Keith groaned. “You’re telling me? It shouldn’t be allowed to be that gorgeous.”

“Ask for his number then!”

Keith glared daggers at Shiro. “And how about you ask Matt out, hm?”

“Touché….”

Keith settled into his coffee and muffin. The coffee was rich and smooth, and the muffin was to die for.  The coffee chains that Keith frequented have nothing on this. The muffin in itself wasn’t dry, nor was it lacking in flavor. “This place makes good…everything.”

“Well, maybe you should come back with me again…you know, for the _coffee_.”

Keith ignored the jab. Sure, Lance was cute, incredibly cute. But he didn’t even know the guy, really. It felt bad just to come back from some good food and eye-candy. Especially when he didn’t even like cats in the first place. “Maybe…but Matt better be here when we come back.”

Shiro smiled and sipped his latte. Keith still didn’t know why Shiro preferred sickly sweet coffee, in his opinion the only way to have coffee was nothing in it, otherwise it ruined the flavour. Keith turned back to his phone, quickly reading over the paragraph he had ignored when Red had jumped up on the couch beside him.  “How did you even find this place? It’s no where close to anywhere we go.”

“Well, I kind of missed having a cat around. I can’t bring home a cat, because I’m positive you’d kill me, so I looked up to see if there was a shelter in the area I could go to. There are, but then I found this place, and well…I fell in love with more than just this guy here. Been coming here ever since.”

“And how long ago was that?”

“Like almost two years ago?”

Keith narrowed his eyes. “You only started talking about your crush like three months ago.”

“Well…I was a little embarrassed. Plus…this is the first boy I’ve really fallen for…So I wanted to make sure before I told you.”

Keith almost found it cute, the way his friend was getting all embarrassed. “Well, I still think you should just use that charm of yours and ask the dude out. And apparently so does the rest of the staff here.”

Shiro groaned. “I know, I know. But he’s just so…smart! And adorable, and what if he doesn’t like me!? What if he’s not into men? Or if he is, he’s not into…me.”

Shiro made a gesture to all of himself, holding a little on his prosthetic arm. The movement jostled the cat on his shoulders, but the cat merely flicked his ears and paid no mind to anything Shiro was doing. Keith frowned. “Shiro, you can’t be serious. I don’t know how many times that I have to tell you that your arm in a part of you, and I can guarantee that no one is uncomfortable with it. Relax, man.”

Shiro had lost his arm in an unfortunate accident when he was fifteen. It had taken some time before he was back to being himself, and years of therapy still. He thought it would change how people treated him or acted around him, and at the start it did, but once people Shiro knew got used to it, they just treated him as they had before. Even when Shiro met new people, nothing changed. Still, he knew his friend was self conscious about his arm, and it held him back sometimes.

 “Thank you, Keith. I’ll try and keep that in mind.”

They slipped back into silence and watched as the rush came in. It was exactly seven thirty and it seemed like the café was filling up very quickly. Most people seemed to be dressed in business attire, but there were a few college students in the mix, and one or two high schoolers. Lance seemed to take it all in stride, used to the rush as Keith was sure he was. A woman with silver hair stepped out from the back and assisted Lance in making orders. “That’s Allura, she’s the other owner of the café.” Shiro noted.

Keith nodded and watched in awe at the pace everything was getting out. Not a smile dropped, or an unhappy customer, it was actually impressive. As soon as everyone that had swarmed in got their beverages, Keith noticed an increase in cats aside from the four he had already seen. There was a fluffy, flat-faced golden cat, two multi-coloured cats that looked like they could be twins, a black and white cat, a grey cat with short curly hair as opposed to the short haired one Keith saw earlier, and a cat that kind of looked like a Siamese, but not quite; Keith didn’t know anything about cat breeds really, but he at least knew Siamese-since that’s what Shiro’s cat was when they were kids.

People flocked to tables and cats came over at their leisure. Red stayed where she was, still looking just as angry as the last time Keith had looked over. Shiro black fluffy monster was still lounging on his shoulders; and Keith was positive the cat was asleep.

“Man! I still can’t believe how crazy it gets!” Keith’s head whipped to the approaching voice. Lance was heading towards them, mug of something that looked to be sweeter than what Shiro was drinking, and apron discarded. He still kept the ridiculous hat on his head, black ears making him look even cuter-if that were ever possible.

“On break? Come sit with us.” Shiro smiled, side-eying Keith briefly.

“Thanks!” Lance flopped down in the other chair next to the couch across from Shiro. The grey cat Keith had seen before booked it from her perch watching the other cats and mewed until Lance moved his coffee so she could safely jump into his lap. “Hello, gorgeous.”

The cat softly mewed up at Lance and moved up to rub her face against Lance’s before curling up in his lap, purring quietly. Lance pet her with one hand, drinking his coffee with the other. “So what’s up with that cat? She seems really attached to you.” Keith hadn’t seen her make a move to go to a single other person once Lance had left. She had gone up on one of the shelves against the wall and watched everyone from that spot.

“Of course she it! She’s my girl!” Lance leaned down and kissed her gently on the head. That earned a soft purry mew. “I can’t have cats at my place, but I did technically adopt her. Sadly, she has to stay with Allura until I can find a place that will let me have her.”

“And…uh…what’s the deal with Red…?” Keith didn’t want to make eye-contact with her, just in case.

Lance turned a sorrowful look at the cat in question. “Well five of these guys are all from the same hoarder. These three plus the two calicos over there.” Lance jerked his head over to where the two identical cats were getting belly rubs from a group of college kids. “But I guess Red used to get beaten by her original owner, the one she had before the hoarder took her in. And then they were all mistreated from that crazy old bat too. We assume Red just got the worst of it, since the others were easily rehabilitated. This is the longest I’ve seen her anywhere out in the open…ever!”

Keith fully looked at the angry cat beside him. She chose to come up to him, so maybe his curse with cats had finally broken. He slowly reached a hand to see if he could touch her, but was greet with a demonic growl, a hiss, and a swat in his general direction, before high tailing it away from the couch. Keith blinked at the space where the cat once sat. There was a giggle off to the side, and Keith turned to see Lance smiling at him. “Well, she didn’t actually scratch you, so I’ll take that as a good sign!”

He wasn’t sure if it was a good sign or not, but if it meant hearing Lance laugh, then he would absolutely consider it one. Shiro excused himself rather abruptly to get another cup of coffee, leaving Lance and Keith to chat. “So, uh…have you worked here long?”

“Nah, only like a year so far. I needed to get a job while I’m going to school, my parents can’t fork over money for school _and_ living expenses. So, I found this place, and fell in love with the atmosphere, and of course the cats.” Lance smiled fondly. “How about you? School? Work? Are you a pilot like Shiro?”

“Uh, yes. Both school and work. Not a pilot, otherwise I couldn’t go to class.”

Lance laughed. “Yeah, I guess so. What do you take?”

“English…” Keith mumbled.

“So, you want to be an author?” Lance seemed genuinely interested.

“Yeah…that’s the plan. If not than, I guess editing would be okay too.” Keith finished off the last cool dredges of his cooled coffee. “What do you take?”

“Fashion!” Lance said cheerfully. “I’m shooting to make my own line of clothing one day. I wanna get my name out there, you know?”

“Do you…go to Altea U?” That was the University that Keith attended, and as large as it was, he was sure he would have at least caught a glimpse of Lance at least once.

“Yep! You?”

Keith nodded. This was beginning to feel like the start of a first date, and as much as the idea thrilled Keith, it was also a little too much for him to handle at the moment. So, he opted for silence. Lance seemed to want to continue on chatting, but once he realized his partner was less then keen, he deflated against the chair and drank his coffee. Shiro came back with a half empty cup, and gave Keith a long look that he pointedly ignored.

Lance looked at one of the many cat clocks on the wall. “Well, I best be getting back,” Blue was less than enthused about being removed from her spot on his lap. “See you, Shiro. Nice meeting you Keith, hope I see you around.”

“Y-Yeah. See you.”

Lance made his way back to the counter once more, and this time Keith actively did not stare at his ass. Shiro sighed as he finished his second cup. “And our time is almost done.”

He gathered up the cups and saucer, taking them to the bus bins labeled for returned dishes. Noir was still on his shoulders, and he gently extracted the large animal from his shoulders and placed him on a cat post. Keith noted the sad look on his friend’s face when he walked away from Noir. Keith stood, and headed towards the exit with Shiro in tow.

As soon as they were out, Keith waited until his friend caught up. “Sooo…how often do you come here?”

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So my original intent was to get another chapter of Artificial Love done first, and then get this chapter out, but it didn't work out like that. It's done, but it needs editing. So hopefully you can enjoy this!
> 
> Huge thanks to my beta for dealing with my whining. Always appreciative.
> 
> Enjoy!

Lance was sitting cross-legged on his and Hunk’s old couch playing the remaster of Crash Bandicoot. Hunk wasn’t home yet, but he knew his friend would be soon. For now, he was keeping himself occupied with outrageously difficult video games until he could talk to Hunk about his day at work. Usually he didn’t have much to talk about except how cute the cats were, but today he had something a little more to share.

The door opened, and Lance listed as Hunk took his time taking off his shoes and jacket, then slowly making his way into the living room. “Dude, I got your text. What’s up?”

Earlier Lance had texted Hunk a bunch of button smashes and a few emojis. Hunk had asked what it was all about when he was on break, but Lance had said he would talk about it at home since by then he was in class by the time he received the text. Hunk came to stand beside his friend and handed him a large bag of gummy candies. Lance paused his game and looked at Hunk in wonder. “Have I ever told you how much I love you? Because I love you, man.”

“Yeah, yeah. I love you too, Lance. Now what’s up? Blue being adorable again and you didn’t have your phone with you?”

“No, not this time. Though, come on man, Blue is always adorable,” Lance dug into his bag of gummies. “So, you know Shiro, the guy who comes in and has a huge crush on Matt?”

“The one Matt also has a crush on? Yeah, you’ve told me about him. But dude I thought we already went through that he was attractive. I will never be able to not see the texts you sent me about him.”

“What, the ones about wanting him to bend me over as I call him Da-”

Hunk slapped a hand over Lance’s mouth. “Yes, those ones.”

Lance laughed and licked Hunk’s hand to get him to let go of his mouth so he could keep talking. “ _Anyway_ , Shiro came into work today ‘cause he wanted to see Matt, and Noir, but this time he brought his roommate with him.”

Hunk sighed, and sat down on the couch. “Male or female?”

“Male. He is just…wow. Kind of almost emo though, and he doesn’t like cats much.”

“We don’t need heathens like that in our lives.” Hunk noted, reaching over and snagging a large gummy frog from the bag.

Lance snorted. “Okay, but Red sat beside him almost the entire time he was there, and didn’t hiss at him until he tried to pet her. So, he’s gotta be a good guy at least, right?”

“Wow, the devil herself didn’t rip someone to shreds?” Hunk considered it. “Alright, so he’s probably not a bad guy. I’m guessing he’s cute?”

“Yes!” Lance groaned. “Like he’s got a mullet and clearly has no fashion sense, but it works for him? He said he was an English major and goes to our Uni, but I’ve never seen him before.”

Hunk shrugged. “It’s a big campus, dude. Plus, I think there’s a lot of English courses at night, so its likely when your classes are done, he’s just starting his.”

“I guess so,” Lance muttered with a mouth full of gummies. “But, like how does a hottie like that not get on my radar?”

“There’s lots of hot people in the world that you’ve never seen Lance,” Hunk continued to savor his gummy. “Do you know if this dude even likes guys?”

“Pretty sure. I’m usually not wrong about these things. Plus, you know how it goes, birds of a feather. And I’m pretty sure Shiro was trying to set us up too,” Lance turned to face his friend, talking animatedly. “He got me to bring their order to the table, and then asked me to sit with them while I was on my fifteen, while he made an excuse to go get more coffee.”

Hunk laughed. “Yeah, it’s possible. What’s this guys name?”

“Keith.”

“Well good luck to you and Keith then.”

“Huuuuuunk!! I barely even know the guy.”

Hunk raised a brow. “And when has that stopped you from flirting it up with anyone you find cute?”

“In my defense, I barely flirted with Keith, and even when I did I’m pretty sure it was lost on him.”

Hunk shrugged. “Well, hope you get to know the guy then.”

“Thanks buddy,” Lance wrapped and arm Hunk’s shoulder before turning a sly smile to his friend. “Sooooo how-”

Hunk flushed. “No! We’re not going there.”

“Aw come on, Hunk! I just talked about the cute guy I met at work today. You can’t talk to me about your massive and absolutely adorable crush on the girl that sits beside you at work?”

Hunk grabbed a large handful of gummies and shoved them in his mouth, turning away from Lance so he didn’t have to talk about it. Lance stuck his tongue out and restarted playing his game as he munched away. “Did she at least like the cookies?”

“Kind of,” The words were muffled, so Lance waited by finishing up the level. “So, she likes peanut butter cookies, but not crunchy peanut butter cookies. She told me they were good, but because they had chucks of peanuts in them, they left her mouth dry.”

Lance reached out of pat his friend’s shoulder. “That’s rough, buddy.”

“I’m making another batch though, so hopefully she’ll like these ones a little better.”

Lance smiled. “Dude, I don’t know why you just don’t ask her out already. You bake her cookies for god sake. Just tell her how you feel and go out with her!”

“Laaaaaannnnce! We’ve talked about this. I can’t just ask her out! She’s _so_ smart. Like I know I’m not stupid or anything, but she is beyond smart. I’ve told you she’s two years younger then us, right?”

“Yeah you’ve mentioned. She’s two years younger but she graduated university at the age of eighteen, in which she started working for the same company right after graduating.”

“Right. So, she is totally done with school, and I’m still taking classes online and some on campus for the next two years. But she’s not just intelligent you know? She’s funny-when she chooses to talk, she’s too cute for words, and just…god, I could go on.”

Lance snorted. “I mean, I’d let you buddy, but I think that would take an eternity. But I do get it, and I still think you should ask her out.”

“Tell you what, I’ll let her know how I feel, when you ask out Keith, deal?”

Lance shrugged. “Yeah, works for me man. Guess I’m asking that boy out next time I see him then.”

“What!? That soon?!”

“Uh, yeah. If it means asking your crush out, then definitely.”

Hunk groaned, covering his face. “I take it back. That’s a devil’s deal.”

Lance shrugged once more and returned to his game. If Hunk didn’t want to ask his co-worker out, then that was his problem. He sort of couldn’t blame him though. It could be difficult to tell someone you liked them, especially if you really care for them past infatuation. Lance was infatuated easily, he knew that much, but it was rare to find anyone he really loved. He knew it would happen one day, but he wasn’t about to rush into anything he wasn’t sure about. 

* * *

 

Pidge usually got to work a little bit earlier than she was scheduled. Not because she wanted to be early to work, but because the company allowed her to use the resources they had on hand for her own uses. Normally they wouldn’t allow staff to do such things, but because she was considered a prodigy, they were more than happy to leave her to her own devices, so long as she also did the work she was supposed to do when her shift started.

She enjoyed the peace being at work early gave her. It meant there was no one else there, either than the boss holed up in his office, and she could tinker away as she saw fit. Today she was working on the design for a self baking oven. All she would have to do is put ingredients in, then the machine would mix and bake it and things would turn out perfectly! Then maybe _she_ could bring in some delicious home baked goods and return the overwhelming kindness that was shown to her by the big, lovable boy that sat next to her.

Pidge wasn’t sure what she did right, and while she didn’t believe in gods or anything, someone somewhere was definitely smiling upon her. Not only had she managed a job in a huge and well-known company right away after graduating, but her desk was right beside a person that made Pidge reconsider her views on if angels existed.

Nose deep in her plans, she didn’t even hear the door open, nor the footsteps drawing near to her. She was concentrating that the soft, “Good morning!” that was spoken to her left startled the hell out of her. She gave a light yelp, and spun in her chair to come face to face with a wide-eyed Hunk. “Oh, oh my god, I am so sorry I didn’t mean to scare you.”

Pidge took a deep breath and let her self calm down before trying to speak. “You just startled me. I wasn’t expecting anyone here for another hour.”

Hunk laughed. “Yeah, I guess that makes sense. Still, sorry!”

“It’s fine. I was just working on some stuff, nothing too important.”

“Oh? What were you working on?” Hunk tried to peer over at her blue prints on her tablet.

Pidge hastily switched to a new tab. She didn’t want anyone to know what she was working on, especially not Hunk. It was a secret, and she intended to keep it that way; just in case it didn’t actually work out. “Nothing of interest. So, what brings you here so early?”

Hunk smiled and reached into his bag. He pulled out a tin from it’s depths and handed it to her. “Well, I felt bad about the cookies yesterday, so here!”

Pidge gingerly took the tin from his hands and popped open the lid. Inside was a sight of beauty. “Are these…?”

“Just plain old peanut butter cookies. No crunchy peanut butter this time.” The smile on his face felt like the sun was shining on her.

Pidge took one out of the tin and bit into it. She had to try very, very hard not to make any embarrassing sounds over how delectable the cookie was. Pidge had always thought that no one could out-do her mother’s baking. That was supposed to be absolutely impossible. But here in her hands was a cookie that was beyond anything she had tasted from her mother’s kitchen. Her mother’s were still amazing, of course, but she had to wonder if the boy in front of her was magic or something. There shouldn’t be any way that someone could make baked goods this delicious.  Her mouth was still full when she decided to speak, muffling her words slightly. “These are amazing!”

Hunk laughed and turned a bit pink. “I’m glad you think so.”

Pidge swallowed the cookie and snatched another. “Seriously though, you didn’t _have_ to make me more! It’s not even my birthday or anything yet,” She paused. “Please don’t tell me that you went out and got regular peanut butter just to make these. Because if you did then I would feel so-.”

“No! No, I didn’t buy anything new. My roommate lives off peanut butter and jam when I’m not home, so we have an abundance of different types of peanut butter.  So, don’t feel bad. I wanted to make these for you.”

Pidge could feel her face heating up. “Thank you. These are honestly the best things I’ve ever tasted.”

“You’re welcome! I’m really glad you like them,” Hunk chewed at his lip. “So uh, do you mind if I ask when your birthday is?”

“Um…it’s April third. You?”

“January thirteenth.”

Pidge frowned. “So, I missed it then.”

“It’s alright! It was a Saturday anyway, so it’s not like were at work or anything.” Hunk gave her an easy smile to try and lift her mood some. It worked.

Pidge gave him a slight smile. “Well next year, I’m going to definitely bring you something!”

“You don’t have to!”

Pidge wouldn’t hear any of it. There was no way that she wouldn’t give him something. He constantly was thinking about everyone else, so she would be damned if she didn’t return some of the thoughtfulness to him. “I don’t have to, no. But I want to.”

“O-Okay, well, thank you. In advance, you know.”

Pidge nodded, willing the flush of her to recede. Hunk excused himself to get a coffee from the shop on the main floor, and left her to her own devices. As soon he was gone, she popped back open her blue prints. Now Pidge had even more fuel to get this thing to work.  
 

* * *

 

Keith scanned the names of the shops he passed, looking for the right restaurant he was supposed to go to. Getting frustrated, he unlocked his phone and chose the contact he lovingly named ‘Angry Bird’.

_< < Where the hell is this diner?_

_> > u walked past like 2 mins ago. Double back scrub _

Keith turned around and started heading back the way he came. Sure enough, he had passed the diner. He could see his friend through the window, resting her head on one of her arms and poking at her straw.

He slipped past the overly friendly hostess and made his way straight for his high school friend, Pidge. “Couldn’t you have tapped on the glass or something?”

She shrugged, pulling back to sit upright. “Could have. But it was more fun to watch you walk past.”

Keith sat down and pulled a menu over. He cared for Pidge, he really did, but sometimes she made it difficult. He ordered something easy, a bacon cheeseburger and fries, before turning his attention back towards his friend. “So? What did you want to talk about?”

Pidge sighed as soon as she was finished giving her order, and Keith swore she had the hint of a pout. “I’m in too deep.”

“What, did you hack the FBI again?”

“No, not this time. Remember that guy I told you about at my work….?”

Keith smiled. “Ooooh, so this is about tall, dark and wonderful then?”

Pidge groaned and dropped her head on the desk. “He’s a literal angel, Keith! You don’t even know!”

“What did he do this time?” Every time Pidge talked about this guy, Keith was incredibly amused by how.

“He made cookies, Keith! Peanut butter cookies! But at first, he made crunchy ones, and I kind of told him I hate peanuts so they made my mouth dry….”

Keith sighed. “Pidge, seriously? You can’t tell a guy who made your favorite cookies that you kind of hated them because of your weird aversion to peanuts.”

“Ugh, I know I know. Trust me I felt like I kicked a puppy. So I thought ‘okay nice job Pidge, you’ve totally screwed yourself for any future interactions with this guy’, only to have him bake another batch without crunchy peanut butter! Just so I could enjoy them without my mouth being dry!”

Keith snorted. “So, when is the wedding again?”

Pidge lifted her head off the table with a scowl and threw a balled-up napkin at Keith’s face. He dodged easily with a laugh. “That’s not funny, Keith!”

He shrugged. “If you say so,” There was a pause in their conversation as their meals-or in this case Keith’s cheeseburger and Pidge’s overly sugar loaded sundae-before Keith spoke again. “You know you could probably just tell this guy how you feel. Sounds like he likes you back.”

“No, no I don’t think so. He’s literally just that nice, Keith,” She sighed, poking at her sundae. “If you ever met him, you’d know exactly what I meant. He made cupcakes last month that was gluten friendly for the birthday of a lady that isn’t even in our division! Just because he knew that the standard ones the company buys aren’t gluten free!”

“Alright, so he’s a nice dude. Still, there’s no harm in kind of testing the waters is there?”

Pidge snatched a few of his fries, dipping them into her sundae. “Um, yes actually there is harm in it. If he doesn’t like me like that then it’s going to be super awkward between us! I work beside him, Keith! We can’t have awkward.”

Keith rolled his eyes. “That is a valid point, but at the same time, what if he does like you? Then you have the sweetest boyfriend in the world who will probably cook for you because you don’t know how.”

“Okay, no. I know _how_ to cook! It’s a science. It just…also has some sort of witchcraft properties thrown in there to make it so a simply logical person can’t hope to ever achieve greatness.”

“Or, you’re just too smart that something simple like cooking is beyond you.”

Pidge stuck her tongue out and continued to munch on both Keith’s fries and her sundae. “So how about you? Anything new and exciting happening in the small, dim world of Keith Kogane?”

“Wow, you’re full of extra snark today, aren’t you?” Keith rolled his eyes and his friends shrug. “And no not much. Work and school are still the same. Still busting my ass and feeling like I’m going no where. My roommate tried to bring me to meet his crush at this cat café last week, but he wasn’t there.”

“Whoa whoa whoa! You _willingly_ went into a _cat café_ without someone having to physically drag you in?” Pidge reached across the table to feel his forehead. “Are you ill? Oh my god Keith, are you dying?”

The grin on her face gave away her teasing. Keith swatted her hand away. “I mean, he definitely didn’t tell me that we were going somewhere with cats involved, but I can’t say it was all bad.”

This piqued Pidge’s interest, and Keith slightly shrunk against her calculating gaze. “Oh? And was does one Keith Kogane, hater of all cats, find ‘not that bad’ at a cat café?”

“Okay, first off, I don’t _hate_ cats. They hate me. Second, the…coffee.”

Pidge smirked. “So, your roommate-who I sadly still haven’t met yet-’s undying crush wasn’t there. Meaning there was another barista there, one who was making and serving said coffee, am I right?”

Keith flushed and concentrated on his burger. Pidge put her elbows on the table, cradling her chin against her knuckles as she waited until Keith couldn’t handle being stared at. It didn’t take long. “Ugh, fine! Yes, you relentless little gremlin. There was a very cute barista there instead of Shiro’s crush. He’s gorgeous, has the prettiest laugh I’ve ever heard, eyes so blue I feel like I’m looking at the ocean, he loves cats and they love him! I absolutely have _no_ chance with him either, so don’t even go there.”

Pidge relaxed back in her seat. “It’s less fun when you give in so easily.”

“Shut up, you got what you wanted.”

“That I did,” Pidge devoured the remainder of her melting ice cream before speaking up. “So, what’s this guy’s name?”

“Lance. He goes to Altea U, takes fashion design. Super friendly and talkative.”

Pidge smirked. “You’ve got it bad~”

“No, I just knew you wouldn’t stop at his name. So, I gave you everything I know after meeting him once, so just drop it.”

“Fine. You’re no fun, by the way.”

“I’m well aware.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The world needs more Hidge, am I right? Originally I hadn't planned on having this scene shown at all, but my lovely beta suggested it might be a good idea. So give her some love if you like it :3
> 
> As always you can find me on tumblr @ raequaza . There for chatting about Voltron, or even answering questions about any of my fics. 
> 
> Until next time!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back at it with another dose of cats and cute. Chapter would have been out sooner had Google Doc decided not to be a dick and delete the first 1200 words of the chapter. I was able to recover some of it thankfully....but some I had to try to just remember.
> 
> Huge thanks to my beta, callmesinpai, as always. She's a treasure.
> 
> Enjoy!

Keith was waiting for Shiro when he trudged in the door at ten in the evening. He could see the exhaustion etched on his friend’s face, and wondered if maybe he should wait to harass his friend about taking him back to The Five Lions. Thankfully he didn't have to say anything, since Shiro just knew him that well. “Coffee tomorrow?”   
  
Keith just nodded, a light dusting of pink gracing his face. Shiro laughed and ruffled his friend's hair before heading to his room to sleep the night away. Sometimes Keith felt bad for his friend, but then again, no one said being a pilot was easy. And Shiro was one of the lucky ones, usually only flying within within the same continent, so his hours weren't even that bad. He knew that international flying was what Shiro wanted to do though, to see the world, and that no lack of sleep or long hours would deter him from that goal. It was pretty inspiring, not that he’d let Shiro know that, and helped him push through his tough schedules to complete his own goals.    
  
Although at the moment, life long goals were the last thing on Keith’s mind. He was elated about going back to the cafe, minus all the cats, and couldn't wait to get up in the morning now. He would be a lot less enthused when he got up, he was sure, but that would all change once he stepped foot inside the cafe once more; and the dreaded early morning didn't stop him from being excited now either. He only hoped he’d be able to actually fall asleep so he would get more than just a few hours of sleep.    
  
\---   
  
Keith got maybe four hours of sleep, having been unable to settle his mind down. It was ridiculous, how much someone could be on his mind after barely meeting him once. Keith never fell for people like this, and he was still in partial denial that he even had feelings at all, but he could not get those blue eyes out of his mind. He partially wished that after he had gone back to the cafe and saw Lance once again, the feelings would get out of his system. Or maybe it would be worse, and he would start coming here without Shiro; in which he’d then have to admit to himself he was so far gone, and he wasn't prepared to do that.    
  
Shiro looked equally tired, even though Keith knew he probably fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. It was a Saturday, meaning Keith had neither school nor work to worry about, But that still didn't stop Shiro from insisting they be there at the same time as before. Keith complained that he could have slept in, but even Shiro knew he had been up long before the other man, ready to go. Shiro thankfully didn't say anything about it, and they left just slightly earlier than the day before since he wasn't dragging Keith’s ass out of bed.    
  
Coran was at the front once more, whistling a tune as he wiped down the countertop. “Good mornin’ fellows. The usual, I presume?”   
  
“You bet,” Shiro tried to hand over the entire amount, but Keith stopped him so he could pay for himself. He wasn't letting Shiro pay for him again. He was rewarded with Shiro ruffling his hair and smiling.   
  
Coran gave them both a knowing smile when he handed over their time slips. “Do enjoy yourselves, lads.”   
  
Keith was very much wary of Coran’s tone. Like he knew something they didn't, or he knew exactly why Keith was there at all. How he could know any of that, Keith wasn't sure, but that didn't make him feel any less embarrassed. Shiro was probably so used to it by now that he just ignored it. Or because it was likely only directed at Keith, since Matt didn’t work weekends, that it just flew over the other boy's head. Which certainly didn't make Keith feel any better.    
  
Shiro stepped in the building first, and stopped as soon as he was in. Keith walked into his back. “Shiro? The hell?”   
  
What came out of Shiro’s mouth wasn't words, but rather a series of low noises that nearly sounded like a whine. Keith peeked his head around his friend’s broad body to see what he was looking at. Behind the counter were two individuals. One was Lance, and Keith felt his face warm slightly at the sight of him mid laugh, but the boy next to Lance was who Shiro had been staring at. Orange-brown hair peaking out from the standard kitty-eared cap, and round glasses perched on the bridge of his nose. At first glance, Keith swore it was Pidge, but on close inspection he could see the differences. Still, the resemblance was uncanny. She had never mentioned having any siblings in high school, so maybe this boy was one of those doppelgangers that everyone was supposed to have. One thing Keith did know for sure, judging by his best friend’s reaction, was that this boy was absolutely Matt.   
  
“Thought he didn’t work on Saturdays…” Shiro mumbled.    
  
Keith slipped some money into his hand. “Well why don’t you go ask him then? And while you’re at it…”   
  
Shiro nodded, barely even acknowledging Keith was still there, and stiffly made his way over to the counter. Keith took the same seat he had before, watching as Shiro talked with Matt. It was pretty clear that they were both into each other. As soon as Shiro got to the counter, Lance had clearly made himself busy so that Matt would have to take Shiro’s order himself. Keith watched in amusement as both Matt and Shiro spoke to one another, cheeks flushed ever so slightly. Keith may or may not have snapped a few photos, just for blackmail purposes; or for their future wedding album, whichever.    
  
Lance made the drinks and swiftly ducked out from behind the counter to bring them to the table. Shiro was still talking with Matt, shy smile gracing his features. Unfortunately, Keith couldn’t keep watching them painfully fawn over each other, as he suddenly had a very pretty boy in front of him with his coffee. “I don’t know how you drink this stuff. Nothing in it? Gross.”   
  
Keith shrugged, accepting the mug from Lance’s hand. “To each their own.”   
  
Lance crinkled his nose. “At least let me make you a latte or something next time you’re here. You might actually like it.”   
  
“I-” Keith wanted to tell Lance how much he’d like that, but movement off to his side caught his eye. Turning, he was greeted with piercing yellow eyes, flattened ears, and a flicking tail. Right. He had completely forgotten that there were actual cats at this cafe, and this one seemed to both hate him and want to be near him at that same time.    
  
“Aw, I think Red likes you.” Lance was smiling fondly at the disgruntled creature next to Keith.   
  
Keith kept the cat in sight. “Or she’s waiting for the opportune moment to strike…”   
  
Lance laughed. “Aw she’d never do that...probably.”

“How comforting.” Keith grumbled.

“I try.” Lance looked back to the counter where Allura was now standing, arms crossed and talking in a low tone to a clearly embarrassed Shiro and Matt. Lance cackled. “Bet she’s telling them not to stop flirting.”

Allura’s eyes snapped to them. “I can hear you, Lance! And I will say the same thing to you as I did to Matt. Enough flirting and get back to work! You can flirt later.” 

Lance went red, and there were a few snickers from other patrons. “She’s so scary sometimes…I don’t know how she hears anything from that far away.” He mumbled. “I better go. See you in a bit?”

“Y-Yeah.”

As Lance quickly scurried back to the counter, Shiro ducked his head and made a beeline for Keith. He flopped on the chair with a groan. “Kill me?”

“Nah, way too much fun to watch.”

Shiro shot him a glare. “You got busted for flirting too.”

“We weren’t flirting!!”

“Uh-huh. Sure you weren’t, champ.”

Keith settled back into the couch with his coffee, face flushed and embarrassed scowl on his face, watching the slow trickle of the Saturday rush come through the doors. It was a lot more hectic than it had been on Wednesday, giving opportunity to far more people to come by. It was interesting to watch how Lance and Matt worked together, barely needed to speak to one another to get things done. If Matt wasn’t clearly so in love with Shiro, than Keith might assume that he and Lance were a thing; simply from the way the moved together.

As soon as the rush was over, Keith watched them play a quick game of rock, paper, scissors; Lance pouted when he lost. Minutes later, Matt was shyly making his way over to their table. Shiro choked on his coffee when he noticed, and Keith tried not to laugh hysterically. “Mind if I sit with you guys?”

Shiro shook his head, coughing the inhaled coffee out of his lungs, gesturing to seat across from him. Keith was stunned at how similar looking Matt was to Pidge, especially in high school. She had worn her hair short then, just like Matt’s was, and her eyes were the same distinct hazel. It was uncanny. He’d have to ask Pidge if she maybe had a secret brother she hadn’t told him about; since she had insisted she was an only child.

It took a few minutes for Shiro to regain himself enough to be polite. “Matt, this is Keith, my annoying roommate and best friend. Keith, this is Matt.”

Keith wanted to add ‘the guy you’re crushing on’ to the end of that, but he refrained. He may like to bother Shiro, but even he had his limits. Shiro would tell Matt eventually…hopefully, rather than be stuck in this awkward half friendship they seemed to have going on. Still, he could tease just a bit. “Nice to meet you, finally. Shiro’s mentioned you a lot.”

Shiro kicked Keith’s outstretched foot under the table. Matt just laughed, and scratched the back of his head. “Yeah, Shiro’s mentioned you a lot too.”

Keith side-eyed his friend, wondering what he could have told Matt about him, especially since it didn’t seem like Shiro and Matt were all that close. And now Matt didn’t think Shiro talking a lot about someone was all the special, which was definitely not the case with Matt. He’d have to clue his friend in on that at a later date. 

“So, Shiro mentioned you don’t like cats much?”

Keith sighed. Of course that’s what Shiro told him. “No, it’s just they all don’t seem to like me.”

“Well, not all,” Matt said gesturing to the red cat beside him. “She doesn’t let anyone get that close.”

“So I’ve been told.” With the amount of people making a big deal about Red’s proximity to him, it must be astonishing to them. For Keith, it was mostly unsettling.

Shiro diverted to an easy conversation about an anime he had seen recently, and  _ of course _ Matt had not only seen it, but was just as eager to talk about it with someone. Keith rolled his eyes and settled back into the couch, sipping his coffee and trying not to stare at Lance as he worked. Key word being, trying. It was hard not to, since the counter was in Keith’s direct line of sight, and Lance had a certain magnetism to him. Keith was very much aware that he wasn’t the only one watching Lance, but he was definitely the only one who didn’t have a cat to distract them from. 

A loud sneeze from to his right startled his attention back to the other two. It had been Matt, and the noise had startled not only the other two humans, but also the two cats. Noir dug his large claws into Shiro’s leg, eyes wide, but otherwise didn’t move. Red on the other hand acted like she had just been thrown head first into ice water. She yowled loudly, hissed at Matt, and took off like a bullet far away from where they had been. Matt frowned. “Sorry...Guess I’m still not over this flu.”

Shiro smiled warmly at him. “It’s alright. It wasn’t on purpose.”

Matt still looked like he felt bad, nodding slowly. “I need to head back. Always nice talking to you, Shiro.”

The smile Shiro gave was blinding. “Same here,” he breathed out.

“Oh! And nice meeting you, Keith.”

“Likewise.” Not that Keith really talked much with him, but he seemed sweet. 

Matt quirked a smile and scurried back to the counter. Lance high-fived him on the way out, carefully balancing his coffee and a small plate as he headed over to the couches. Unlike last time, where Red had been taking over the couch, Lance could freely sit beside Keith if he chose; so like a coward he sat in the chair Matt had been previously sitting in. Within minutes, Blue was in Lance’s lap, happily kneading away at his leg. 

“So Shiro, fly anywhere cool this time?”

“No, still stayed in the continent, as per usual.”

“Lame! When are you going to get to fly somewhere cool?”

Shiro sighed. “Like I’ve told you before, it will be when there’s an opening available.” Lance opened his mouth to speak once more, but Shiro cut him off. “And yes, I will be sure to take pictures and bring you back something.”

Lance smiled and settled back into his chair, fingers scratching gently behind Blue’s ears. Keith never thought he’d ever be jealous of a cat, but here he was, definitely jealous. And given how long he’s known Lance, he felt ridiculous. How could he be so attracted to a person after barely knowing them for more than a week. He pushed aside thoughts of how good Lance’s fingers might feel in his own hair to focus on more important things, like making fun of Shiro.

“So the nerdy glasses kid is your type, hm?” 

Lance cackled, nearly choking on his scone, and Shiro groaned. “Why are you like this?”

Keith just smirked. “No no, it’s perfect. You two are super cute together.”

“Uh, correction, they  _ could _ be super cute together, if Shiro here grew a pair and asked him out.”

Shiro shushed them, frantically looking back at the counter to see if Matt had heard. There was a small line of customers, and they were a bit of a distance away, so thankfully he was safe from Matt potentially hearing “You guys are terrible. What did I ever do to you?”

“Want me to list the amount of broken mugs, and spilled coffee?”

“Or how about how many months you’ve been whining at home about how cute he is.”

Lance held his fist out, and Keith bumped his own. Attraction aside, he could definitely see himself getting along  _ really _ well with Lance; especially if he teased Shiro just as much as Keith did. Shiro sighed and looked down at the cat in his lap. “At least you’re on my side.”

“No I’m pretty sure Noir had been plotting with Queen and Rover on how to trip Matt into your arms or something.” Lance piped in. 

“Queen and Rover?”

Lance jerked his thumb behind him. “The calico twins.” 

Keith looked at where Lance was pointing and saw a large crowd of exhausted looking college students all playing with the two multi-colored cats. “Who names a cat Rover?”

“Same crazy lady who named Red, Noir, and Blue.” Lance shook his head. “I tell you, some people just should not be allowed to name animals. The last batch we saved from a hoarder were all named after food! We still have one of them, the rest have been adopted, but still...who names a cat Butter!?”

Keith looked around the room to see a cat that might fit the description, and spotted a fat fluffy golden cat with a squished face getting love from two little children as their parents watched tiredly. The cat didn’t seem to mind anything the kids did to him, just loving the affection he received. 

Lance sighed. “And that’s my fifteen. Guess I’ll see you another time Shiro? And Keith…?”

“You can count on it.” Keith was thankful his voice didn’t waver. 

Lance grinned and all but skipped off back to the counter. Shiro chuckled, but decided to be the bigger man and not say anything. “And our time is nearly up too.”

Keith nodded, downing the rest of his cooled coffee with a grimace; nothing was worse than cold coffee. “So, Monday?”

“While I would normally come here Monday, I think Wednesday might be more...beneficial for you” 

Keith pushed back the creeping embarrassment to shoot Shiro a smirk. “But you’ll still go Monday yourself anyway, right? For your  _ own _ benefit?”

“I will neither confirm or deny my Monday plans.” 

\-----------

It became a habit on Wednesday for Keith to accompany Shiro to The Five Lions. Shiro would go himself every Monday, and suggested a few times for Keith to go himself on Saturdays, but he never worked up the courage. He may call Shiro a coward for not confessing his feelings to Matt, but he definitely wasn’t any better with his own growing feelings. 

Lance was...so charming. He always came to sit with them for his fifteen minute break, and that just didn’t seem like enough time to really get to know him, but he managed to learn quite a bit about the other boy in that span of time. Lance was personable, and more than happy to chat about both work and school. There was never a time where they didn’t gang up on Shiro’s crush together, and he just muttered about how rude the youth today were. He had even threatened to put Noir on Keith’s lap once or twice, which always shut him up. 

Shiro got him back though, both at the cafe and at home. Keith was apparently painfully obvious about his crush on Lance, according to Shiro. Keith couldn’t deny it, since he’d now been spending every Wednesday at a cat cafe for near two months. Lance wasn’t the only constant there though, Red came to sit with him each time he was there. She never came any closer, and always fled at any abrupt noise or movement.  No one could tell him why she came to him, only that he was the only one she did that to.

One Monday night in early April, Keith trudged his way to the university library after his last class of the day. Even though he was exhausted, he still had homework he needed research for, and it was easier to complete such a task at the well-stocked library than with any search engine at home. It was quiet, only a few lingering students spread out at the various tables around the large room. 

Keith preferred to be as far away from everyone else as possible, having a specific corner on the first floor that he tended to gravitate towards. It was always empty at this time of night, being far away from any windows or additional sources of light save for the lamps on the table. It was quiet, and that’s what Keith needed. So he was a little more than annoyed that someone was already there, back to him, hunched over their work.

He scowled, intending to find a different table but the boy sighed loudly and stretched, showing Keith a glimpse of the face he hadn’t been able to take off his mind. “Lance?”

He turned, yes it was definitely Lance, and smiled. “Keith!”

They were shushed by a few other students, and Lance flashed them an apologetic smile as Keith shuffled to sit across from Lance. “I didn’t know you came to the library this late. Don’t you have morning classes?”

“I do, but I kept getting distracted at home, so my roommate made me come here,” Lance said with a pout. “Apparently me being distracted was distracting him.” Keith was sure that Lance was just distracting in general, but perhaps that was just him. “How about you? You always come here this late?”

“Here, or the gym. But I’ve got a world literature assignment to finish by the end of the week, so here I am,” Keith started setting up his things. “How about you? Fashion design work?”

Lance snorted. “Contrary to popular belief, it’s not all fashion all the time. I’m also taking business management, which is what I’m working on right now.”

“Well, I promise not to distract you.” 

Lance gave a small smile and got back to work. Keith set about gathering a few books that had been recommended by his professor then set to work on his paper. While Keith normally hated having other people near him, he didn’t mind Lance being around so much. Sure, it was a little distracting, but he still got his work done. 

It was nearing midnight by the time Keith was finished. Lance also seemed to be done, slamming his note book closed with yawn. “God I’m tired, but also famished. You?”

Keith hadn’t eaten more than a power bar during a break in between class, something his stomach was reminding him now. “Yeah, but not sure where to eat this late at night.”

Lance stood from his chair. “I know just the place!”

The place in question was a twenty-four hour pizza joint three blocks from the university. Keith had never been here, but had heard people talking about it. Lance raved about it on the walk from campus, saying they not only had the best pizza in town, but one of the best garlic knots Lance had ever had aside from the ones in his home town. 

The pizza was beyond good, and it surprised Keith that Lance also enjoyed pineapple on his pizza; Shiro and Pidge always called him a disgrace. They had snagged a table at the back, tucked away from general view of anyone walking in. It was nice always nice, sitting with Lance, but now he didn’t have the constant concern over whether or not a certain red cat was going to rip out his jugular

They talked school mostly, equally complaining about term end projects and course loads. Keith felt worse for Lance than he did for himself. On top of written projects, he also had to whip up not only a outfit design, but sew it all and have it modeled for their final project. “It’s not even the worst one, since it’s casual clothes. Apparently next year’s modeling project is way more intense. Like near Paris fashion week levels.”

Keith wasn’t really sure what that meant, but nodded anyway. “That sounds tough. I only really have to do a few written projects, and submit a novella.”

“Whoa a novel?! You have to write one already?”

“Just a short one. Think A Christmas Carol, or like a children’s novel in length.”

“So what’s yours about?”

Keith flushed, he didn’t normally talk about his writing with other people. “Nothing special. It’s about a murder taking place in a small town, and how the victim's young daughter stops at nothing to find the killer. Pretty basic, and definitely over used, but it was all I could think of at the time.”

“I think that sounds really cool! Think I could read it after it’s been marked?” Lance seemed genuinely interested. 

“Um, yeah I guess. If you want.”

Lance beamed. “Definitely! Thanks man!” His smile broke from the loud yawn he emitted. “Man, I am so sleeping in tomorrow. Don’t really have to go to my first class, since I’m already ahead.”

“You don’t work?”

“Mm, no I have Sunday to Tuesday off. You?”

They had never really discussed their work schedules before, but Keith knew that he at least didn’t work Mondays.. “Yeah, I get weekends off.”

Lance perked up at this. “That’s perfect!”

“Is it?” Keith wasn’t sure what Lance was so excited about.

Lance slapped his palms on the table. “Yes! Okay, here me out. You know how Matt and Shiro are crushing hard on each other right? Well, my roomie has been crushing on the girl he sits beside for nearly a year now. So I thought, why not kill two birds with one stone? There’s this great club I go to, and it’s tradition for me to go one last time before I buckle down for finals.”

“And you want me to help convince Shiro to go?”

“Yes! But I also want you to come too. Just getting them to the club will be hard enough, but setting them up so they finally break and ask each other out might be harder. Plus I’ve got to do it with two sets of people. Wanna help?”

Keith pondered it. “Only if you don’t mind an added challenge.”

“Always up for a challenge. Shoot.”

“I’ve got a friend who’s in a similar circumstance as your roommate. I’d like to drag her and the guy she’s crushing on into the mix.”

“So three potential couples to get together in one night? Sounds like fun.” Lance extended his hand, smiling widely at Keith. “Saturday night?”

Keith took his hand, shaking it firmly. “Just tell me where and when.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NGL, this story is really hard for me to write sometimes. I'm not sure if it's because I just don't know how to write pure fluff, or if it's because I'm not positive if this is good or not, so even after I finish Artificial Love, the updates for this will be sporadic. 
> 
> Thanks for reading, comments and Kudos always appreciated.   
> As always, I am on tumblr @ raequaza. Come yell with me about Klance and season 3!
> 
> Until next time


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are, with another new chapter!
> 
> I'd like to make a quick note that Pidge in this is 18 almost 19. HOWEVER, because this is a fictional universe, I figured I could bend drinking laws to suit my needs. SO, like half of my country, legal drinking age is 18. This way it wont seem strange that she is in a club
> 
> As always, thanks to my beta, callmesinpai, for editing. And major thanks to anyone reading this! Comments and kudos are always appreciated! Now that Artificial Love is finished, I have more time for this.

After setting a date for that weekend, Keith and Lance exchanged phone numbers so they could keep in contact if anything went wrong with getting their friends at the club. And thankfully, Lance didn't seem to mind texting him about random other things throughout the day. He was also quite fond of emojis and used them in almost every text that Keith received. It was sort of ridiculous but also incredibly charming in its own way. The few times Keith plucked up the gall to send one back, Lance returned with an abundance of overly happy emojis back.

Keith had no problems getting Shiro to go to the club. He was off that weekend anyway, and agreed with Keith that it might be nice to relax. What Keith did not tell Shiro was that Matt was going to be there. He knew that if his friend knew, he would chicken out at the last minute. So for now, all Shiro needed to do was dress nice for a club they were going to for guys night. Lance was thrilled when Keith texted him that, saying Matt agreed to go as well, but only after Lance told him that Shiro would be there too.

Pidge had been a different story. It took so much pleading for Keith to even get her to consider coming, “Please? Just ask the dude out for a fun time! You don’t even need to call it a date. Plus you get to meet my roommate!”

There was a sigh on the other side of the line, followed by the clicking of a keyboard, “I don’t know Keith...what if he says no?”

Keith hadn’t really considered that a possibility. The boy baked her cookies, and then remade them to suit her tastes better, so he would probably agree, “Well if he does you can just come hang out? It’ll be fun.”

“Keith Kogane having fun?! I never thought I’d live to see the day!” she joked. Keith waited in silence, knowing she was trying to distract from the topic and he wasn't falling for it. He could her Pidge grumble something under her breath before she spoke again, “Fine...but I might be a little late. I have some thing that came up that I need to deal with first.”

Keith smiled, glad he was able to convince her, “That's fine, just let me know if you get your co-worker to come tomorrow, okay?”

All he got was a groan in response before Pidge hung up. He chuckled then eagerly texted Lance right away, ignoring homework on his desk.

<< friend is asking her co-worker out tomorrow

>> !!! My roomie is asking his <3 tmrw 2

>> think it will work out??

>> both HUnk and your friend being able to snag their crushes?

<< Hoping. If not, we can still hook up Shiro and Matt. And whoever else is able to make it, if it’s only one pair. Goal is those two dense mofos.    
  
>> guess you’re right  
  
>> Matt is soooooooo excite/nervous btw

>> it's adorbs

>> Shiro still doesn't know??

<< nah. He can be surprised. I'll make sure he looks good though. Show off his...everything

>> XD I rly hope Matt doesn't have a heart attack

>> he promised he’d do his best to look good. Said he asked for fashion help already

>> but it wasn't from meeeeeeee!!! Nd he won't tell me who either!

>> :(((

>> the worst betrayal </3 

Keith couldn't help but laugh. Lance was a little dramatic, but in a cute kind of way. 

<< I'm sure it's nothing personal. 

It took a few minutes before Lance responded. Keith tried to get a few questions done, but was checking his phone too much to really comprehend what was going on.

>>you right. He said I was still his favorite fashionista <3

<< oh my god you actually asked him?

>> ofc!! I had to know! Said it would guarantee him not to puss out this way

>> ack, I didn't know it was so late! I gotta do hmwrk! Ttyl?

<< same here. And definitely!

>> <3 

Keith’s pulse pounded looking at the small heart on the screen. Lance had never sent a singular heart like that to him, and he wasn’t going to lie, it kind of gave him a bit of hope. 

>>sorry!! meant for someone else!!

Keith’s heart sank. Well, he thought he might have been reading into it too much, but it still sucked a little bit. He wasn't going to let it get him down though. Keith was happy enough to talk to Lance on the regular now. It felt nice to have another friend. He really only had Pidge and Shiro, so adding one more to the mix had been interesting and a lot of fun as well. And most of their talking had been over text in less than a week! Sure he was pretty comfortable with Lance when Keith made it to The Five Lions, but he had gotten to know Lance a little more via text then their sparse conversations in the cafe.

However, if Keith kept thinking about Lance all night, he wouldn't get any of his homework done, and it was due the next day. So he buckled down and got to work.

Meanwhile, Lance was whining to Hunk about how he sent a heart to his crush, and then had to make up a lie that it wasn’t intended for him.

* * *

 

Pidge was fidgeting with the hem of her shirt as she walked towards Hunk at his desk. She had been running a little bit late, trying to make sure she looked at least half okay, “Hey…”

His eyes lit up when he saw her, smiling brightly as she approached, “Hey! Good morning!”

“Morning…” She paused, not really knowing how to go about asking him to come clubbing with her, her friend and her friend’s roommate.

Hunk, oblivious to her turmoil, decided to speak up first, “So hey, um I was wondering if you maybe wanted to...maybe come with me to the club this weekend?”

Pidge froze. It was almost like Hunk could read her mind. But she knew that was impossible, and then her mind went into overdrive. She really liked Hunk, a lot, but at the same time she didn’t want to make a fool of herself without back-up in the form of Keith. If it was just her and Hunk alone together, then god knows what kind of mess she could get herself into, and that definitely wasn’t something she wanted to do! “Uuuh...I was kind of planning on doing something with my friend...you could come too though, i-if you want.”

Hunk’s face fell, “Oh um, well clubbing was going to be with my friend...and I’d kind of hate to ditch him. He sort of invited his crush, and his co-worker and _his_ crush, so I wanna be there for support.”

The addition of four other people did sort of make it feel a little better. But they were four strangers, and that comfort of someone she knows being with her was far more appealing, “Ah, I’ll um have to pass this time.”

“Well...maybe some other time?” Hunk’s voice was right back up to it’s regular cheer.

“Yeah, totally! And hey, me and my friend are planning on going to a club too. Not sure which one yet, so maybe I might see you.”

Hunk flashed her another one of his bright smiles, “Hey maybe! My buddy likes to club hop, so it’s definitely a probability.”

“May the odds be ever in our favour,” Pidge said with a slight British accent.

Hunk laughed, “I hope so. I’d be nice to see you outside of work.”

Pidge tried to will her heart to stop beating so fast. She was positive the people on the next floor could hear it, let alone Hunk who was right beside her. Her face felt like it was on fire too, which didn't help matters any. She nodded, probably a little too fast to look normal, “Y-yeah that'd be cool. Not totally sure what club we’re going to yet, as it hasn't been decided, but...uh...hope I see you around.”

Hunk opened his mouth to say something, but the boss came in and called for Pidge to see her about a new project. She apologised to Hunk then quickly walked over to her boss before she could say anything else that would be embarrassing.

 

* * *

 

>> im a coward 

Keith glared at his phone. He typed back furiously. 

<< pidge I swear to god if you didn't ask that boy…

>> I did! Its just that he kinda asked me first, to go with him and his friends, but I chickened out because it would be so awkward with strangers...so I turned him down

>> did try to ask if he wanted to come with us instead but he said no 

Keith sighed, well that was one person down. He switched the convo to Lance. 

<< my friend didn't get her crush to come 

Lance’s response was almost immediate. 

>> boo my bff’s crush can't come

>> oh lol you too huh?

>> that blows

>> my bestie is gonna come with us anyway. Said he might have a chance to catch her cause she is also coming to a club, but doesn't know the one.

<< yeah that's cool. I'll drag my friend along too, she wants to meet Shiro anyway.

<< who knows, they might get along

<< your friend and mine that is

>> if yours is a nerd, then definitely 

Keith laughed. Well, even if they couldn't hook up their other pinning friends up with their crushes, at least they could have them meet people they’d get along with so they could still have a good time. Pidge had about as many friends as Keith, so it could do her some good to have another one. Maybe one who could actually understand all her technical jargon. He switched the convo back to Pidge. 

<< you’re still gonna come though right?

<< to hang and meet Shiro?

>> ya. Haven't been to a club since my birthday, so might as well.  
  
<< and are going hide in a huge hoodie and sweatpants this time? 

Keith had been with her when she turned eighteen, making her old enough to get into clubs. She had wanted to go, but then didn't want to be seen in the outfit she had on, so she wore sweats and a hoodie over top instead. It didn't look bad, and whatever she was comfortable with was fine. However, she mostly did it because she was self-conscious, and Keith knew she could look like a knock-out if she wanted to. 

>> nah. Already pussed out on something once this week.

>> won't do it again. Out of principle.

>> probably

<< it's fine either way.

<< gonna be more than just Shiro and I tho

>> oooo is that boy ur crushin on gonna be there?

<< maybe

<< and like two other people, not including shiro. You’ll like em tho. Both nerds.

<< one looks a lot like you actually. Its weird

>> oh good. Then we can laugh at you and your crush stumbling over each other.

>> also whoa I have a doppelganger? Why am I just hearing this now?

<< you'll meet him Saturday 

Keith’s phone pinged. Lance was messaging again. 

>> she coming? Just wanna know how many peeps so I can decide the club

>> unless ya wanna go club hopping. Cause I'm down for that any day :D

<< yeah she's coming

<< excited to meet more nerds

<< and her doppelganger

<< cause wow does Matt look like a male version of her

>> really!? That's so cool!!!!!

>> I can't wait to meet her! If she looks like matt, I bet she cute!! 

Keith frowned. He hadn't thought that maybe Lance might find Pidge attractive, that he was into women as well. He should have expected it. Hopefully it wouldn't come up much though, as Pidge is really only interested in the co-worker and Lance might be distracted by hooking up Matt and Shiro. He could only hope anyway.

* * *

 

Keith stared at his closet. It had been a breeze to pick something out for Shiro, the man looked good in literally everything. And while he liked to wear a lot of looser fitting clothes on his days off, Keith knew he had some tighter clothes in his wardrobe, which is what he picked out for his friend despite the protests. It was only after the threat that he would hide all his other clothes that Shiro eventually relented. And even he had to admit he didn't look bad. A white t-shirt with black graffiti on it, a black semi-formal suit jacket, and tight dark jeans. Everything was form fitting and showed nothing but the best aspects of Shiro. It wouldn’t just be Matt staring at Shiro that night, Keith was positive.

Keith’s problem was what _he_ was going to wear now. His entire wardrobe was basically devoid of all colour, and he kind of wanted to look a little less like a goth kid to the club; and maybe to impress Lance a little bit too, if he was being completely honest. The more he stared, the worse it got. He banged his head on the edge of his closet.

Shiro looked his head into Keith’s room, dressed and looking ready to go, “I thought you wanted to leave in like ten minutes.”

“I do, but fuck I don’t know what _I’m_ going to wear.”

“Since when did you care about what you wore?” Shiro puzzled, walking into the room, “you’ve got that hooded vest right? And some skinny jeans? Just snag a tank top and you’re good to go. You pull it off better than anyone I know. Plus it shows off your arms, which is one of your best assets in my opinion.”

A few people had told him he had nice arms, which he always thought was a little weird-especially in comparison to Shiro, but hey whatever floats someone's boat he supposed. Still, if Shiro thought it was good enough, then maybe he’d take his advice. The vest in question had some red in it, and he had a dark grey tank top that wouldn't look too badly with it. Black skinny jeans and some red high-top converse, and it wasn't a half bad outfit. He started changing, and Shiro left the room, joking about his innocent eyes being tainted.

Dressed and ready to go, he didn't bother doing anything with his hair either then put it up in a ponytail. Shiro was waiting by the door, leaning against the frame, “Expecting someone special to be there?”

Keith shrugged, with a smile. “You never know.”

 

* * *

  
“I look like an idiot!”

Pidge rolled her eyes at her brother, who stood in front of his full length mirror, “You do not. You look good, nerd.”

She got her brother into a light purple button-up dress shirt and black slacks. The top two buttons were undone, pulled back to show his collar and a slight bit of his chest. They had been at this for an hour, and each time Matt had something to complain about. He wanted to wear a t-shirt and jeans, but Pidge nixed that idea quickly, “Look, you wanna look good for this guy you like right? This outfit looks great on you, so leave it be.”

“But Katie…”

Pidge hopped off from her perch at the edge of his bed “Just trust me okay? And just one more thing,” her brother squawked in protest as she took his glasses off her face. “There, much better.”

“I need those to see!” he countered, trying to grab his glasses out of her hands.

She spun away from him, “Matt you have contacts. Wear them.”

Matt sighed and headed to his bathroom, grumbling about Pidge being a terrible choice for help. As soon as he was gone, she set his glasses in his bedside table drawer and then sauntered over to where her brother was. He was slowly pulling his contacts in, having a hard time with it since he rarely put them in, “Okay, they’re in you tiny tyrant.”

Pidge shrugged, “You’d do the same if it was me.”

She wasn't wrong and they both knew it, “Well, does my face look okay?”

Pidge tried not look at his face often, and not the spot he was referring to. The deep scar marring his face was always covered with very expensive professional makeup, but Matt was very conscious of making sure it was. It hurt to look at it, as it reminded her of what happened to her brother. How she nearly lost him, and the last thing he would have thought if he did was that she hated him. She never liked to show her brother it affected her still, so composed herself before speaking, “Looks fine Matt. Now let's go! You have to meet your co-worker in like fifteen minutes, and I still need to get ready myself. Still don’t know where Keith wants us to go, but he's supposed to text me soon.”

Matt snorted, slipping into some nicer looking sneakers. “Am I ever going to meet this kid, or are you still not telling people you met in high school that I exist?”

“Well I'm not going to tell him if you’re just going to stand around here all day! Get going, loser!”

Matt laughed and wrapped his sister in a one armed hug, against her protest. “Love you too Katie,” they left his apartment and stopped at the street, “Okay well, have fun. Don't get white girl wasted. If you need me at all…”

“I’ll call you! Now go on! Get some!”

Her brother flushed, but left with one more with half hug. Pidge shook her head and turned to head back to her own apartment to get ready.

 

* * *

  
Keith kept checking his phone as he and Shiro waited in line to get into Club Olkarion. Lance was already inside with Matt and Hunk, sending him a barrage of texts and some pictures of them. Matt looked good, enough so that Keith was sure Shiro would be impressed. He had never met Lance’s roommate before, but he was also well dressed in a light grey short sleeve dress shirt, grey vest and darker grey slacks, finished off with a plaid tie. Lance hadn't sent a single picture of himself though, and it was making Keith anxious to see why that was. Shiro didn't make much of a comment, just asked if he was texting Pidge; which he half lied and said he was, because he had messaged Pidge, but not in a while.

It wasn't long before they got in, and as soon as they did Keith pulled Shiro along to the booth that Lance had snagged. He could hear Lance laughing before he even saw him. When he did catch a glimpse, he nearly crashed into another person from stopping so abruptly. Lance looked good, always. He looked good in the clothes he wore for school, and he even looked good in his work outfit with that silly cat-ear hat. But this was something entirely different. Lance was dressed in a loose white tank top with blue along the edge, light coloured capri jeans that were aesthetically ripped between the hem and knee, and a teal snap back that was worn backwards. Honestly, if anyone else were to wear that same outfit, Keith would automatically assume they were a douchebag, but Lance pulled it off in ways Keith didn’t even think possible. All too suddenly he felt incredibly under-dressed, and a little more nervous to see Lance. But then again, it wasn’t about him and Lance. It was about hooking up Shiro and Matt so they would stop dancing around each other. And maybe have Lance’s best friend and Pidge become friends. From the few things Lance has said about his roommate, they’d probably get along.

“Keith? Why’d we stop?” Shiro was looking at him with concern in his eyes.

Keith cleared his throat, “Nothing, let’s go.”

He weaved through the crowd until they got close enough to the booths. Unfortunately, Keith was pulled back sharply before he could call out to them, “You didn’t tell me we were meeting up with anyone else!”

Keith smirked, “Oh really? Man I must of forgot.”

Shiro opened his mouth to respond, but Lance stepped up beside Keith, resting his arm on Keith’s shoulder, “Shiro! So happy you could make it! Come on, you two _have_ to meet my roommate.”

Lance grabbed Shiro’s hands and pulled him towards the table, not listening to the grumbled complaints from the older man. Keith followed behind, smiling at Shiro’ clearly confused face. “Hunk, this is Shiro. Shiro, my roommate, Hunk,” Hunk waved, before training his eyes on Keith, “And this is Keith.”

“Nice to meet both of you finally. Lance talks non-stop about you,” Lance swatted him as he slid into the booth.

There was an obvious missing presence at the table, but one questioning gaze to Lance, and all he got was a wink in return; meaning he shouldn’t worry about it. He slid into the booth beside Lance, as Shiro took the seat across from him, arms crossed and clearly unamused. Lance looked off to the side and then turned his attention back to Shiro, “And of course, you know Matt.”

Shiro’s head whipped around so fast to where Lance was gesturing, Keith was worried he might have snapped something. He watched his friend’s eyes go wide and jaw open ever so slightly at the sight of Matt coming over to them. The first thing that Keith noticed was that Matt wasn’t wearing his glasses, and damn did he look even more like Pidge than before. Keith also noticed that he looked really good in the outfit he was wearing, and couldn’t really blame Shiro for the way he was staring. Matt looked a little anxious, but smiled softly once he came closer to them. “Glad to see you guys could make it!”

Shiro blinked rapidly, before nodding a little too quickly, “Y-yeah, no problem.”

They just stood and stared at each other until Lance butted in, “Hey Shiro, wanna scooch over a bit so Matt can sit down too?”

“Yep!! Sorry!! Um, here,” he slid over, allowing Matt to sit beside him, both flushed in the face.

Hunk hid his chuckle, obviously in the know if what was going on, “So Keith, we’re just waiting on your friend?”

“Yeah she should be here soon. Just finishing getting ready and heading here.”

Lance slapped his hands on the table, “Well, while we wait, how about a round of drinks!?”

Keith moved to let him up, and Hunk followed, “Keith come help Hunk and I. What do you guys want?”

Shiro and Matt mumbled off their requests, still not quite looking at each other directly. Lance skipped off to the bar, Hunk and Lance following. No sooner had Lance given the bartender his order and the other twos, then a cute blonde girl came up to him, leaning against the bar beside Lance and talking lowly. Keith gave his own order, trying to ignore the obvious flirting between the two. It hurt a little, but it's not like Lance owed him all his attention.

As soon as they three drinks were in Lance’s possession, he handed two to Hunk and one to Keith, “I'm gonna go dance for a bit. Mind taking the drinks?”

“Sure Lance. No problem,” Hunk said in a tone that let Keith know this was probably a regular occurrence.

Lance patted Hunk on the shoulder and flashed Keith a smile. “Be back soon! Don't let those two be silent the whole time! I'm counting on you!!”

The blonde tugged Lance to the dance floor before Keith could respond. He watched as they disappeared into the mass of moving bodies with a frown. A hand clapped on his shoulder, “Ah don't feel too bad. That’s just who he is. Can't fight the need to dance, and doesn't want to force anyone to go with him if he isn't sure they like dancing.”

Keith flushed at Hunk’s knowing soft smile, “Let's get these drinks back to the others.”

Hunk chuckled slightly and snagged the one he had placed down off the bar. Keith grabbed his own and the one that was handed to him, and headed back to the table. Shiro and Matt we're still sitting there, not really talking much. Matt had his phone in his hands, typing furiously to someone. Shiro kept glancing over at Matt, looking like he wanted to say something but didn’t know what. It was painful really.

Hunk slid into the booth, giving Matt his drink and setting aside Lance’s. Keith sat beside Hunk and have Shiro his drink, sipping his own slowly, “No drink for you Hunk?”

“Nah, not my thing. I'll probably get some water in a bit, but I’m good for now.”

It was quiet for a few moments before Hunk started a light conversation with Shiro. Trying to get to know him a little better, before asking similar things of Keith. Matt was also included in the conversation, and it shocked Keith how easy it was for Hunk to get everyone chatting easily. It was no wonder why Lance had wanted his best friend to come along. With any luck Hunk could single-handedly get Shiro and Matt together if things kept going as they were. As it was, he had gotten them to chat among themselves, and their body language showed all kinds of relaxed and comfort now.

Keith’s phone dinged.

>> they’re just scanning my ID now. This place is packed

<< great! We’re in a booth in the back past the dance floor.

>> kk 

“My friend is here. She's just getting her ID scanned and then she’ll be over.”

“Great! Want me to get Lance?” Hunk asked.

Keith nodded and let Hunk out, watching his disappear to somewhere near the middle of the dance floor. Keith tried to scan for Pidge amongst the crowd but couldn't see her. Hunk leaving had caught the other two’s attention, and they too were looking to try and see if anyone was coming close, “What’s she look like anyway?”

Keith turned to see both Matt and Shiro staring at him, “Well honestly even though she hides in the largest hoodies possible normally, and I sort of expect it today, under all that she looks a lot like Matt. She's super excited to meet you, since you’re her doppelganger.”

Matt raised his eyebrows, but said nothing. And much like Pidge, he took on a calculating gaze that Keith just couldn’t decipher. Not wanting to dwell on it too much, he scanned the crowd once more for her. He saw dude-bros hitting on scantily clad women, and well dressed ladies gossiping in a circle. There was a flash of green off to the side, catching his attention.

There was Pidge, slowly making here way through the throng of people. He had been expecting comfortable clothes; jeans, hoodies, t-shirts, or sweatpants. That was definitely not what his friend had worn. Never in his life had he seen Pidge where a dress before, as neither of them bothered to go to school dances, so this was a first. It was a green off-shoulder dress that was slightly shorter in the front than in the back. She was wearing small black heels as well, which was also a first, but she managed to make it seem like she wore them all the time. She seemed to be searching, so he waved at her. “Pidge!”

Her eyes locked to his, and across from him he could hear two sets of people choking on their drinks. Keith looked to see both Shiro and Matt, coughing up their drinks as they stared at Pidge. She approached the table, stopping in front of it to stare. “Matt!?”

“Katie!?” Matt sputtered.

“Wait what?” Keith looked between the two, “You two know each other?”

Matt groaned and placed his head on the table, “This is all you, Katie.”

Keith narrowed his eyes at Pidge, “Explain.”

Pidge twisted her hands in front of her. “Sooooo you know how I said I was an only child? Yeah may have um...lied a bit there.”

“Obviously! So Matt is your brother then...and your name is Katie?!”

“Oh my god,” Matt groaned, “You didn’t even tell him your real name!?”

“It was a phase!” She whined, “Look can we just not talk about this right now? I came here to have a good time, and honestly I’m feeling so attacked right now.”

There was a small laugh from Matt, followed by a head shake. He looked up at his sister, taking her outfit in, “So this is what you had to do after helping me out.”

She shrugged, and shoved at Keith so she could sit down beside him “So Matt, this is my emo friend Keith.”

Keith shoved at her, “Rude. Pidge, this is my roommate Shiro.”

Pidge gave her brother a knowing look, “Nice to finally meet you Shiro. I’ve heard _so_ much about you.”

“Keith talks about me?”

She smiled, “Yes, _Keith_ sure does.”

Matt made a small noise, slouching in his seat. Shiro just smiled, “Well, it’s nice to meet you. Keith talks about you often too.”

Pidge snorted then stole her brother’s drink, taking a sip despite his protests, “So! Where are the other two? Because I highly doubt that my brother is the cute barista you’ve been talking about.”

“Pidge!!” Keith frantically looked around, but thankfully Hunk hadn’t returned with Lance yet.

“Oh please, you’ve always been obvious on your crushes. I’m sure you told your roommate, and my brother may be a mega nerd, but he’s pretty perceptive at times.”

Matt stuck his tongue out at her. Shiro laughed light-heartedly, “She’s got you there Keith.”

Keith was going to snap back, but a startled noise off to the side distracted him. Hunk was back, with Lance staring in just as much surprise as Hunk. Pidge looked over to see what he was staring at and gasped. Keith looked between the two, letting everything click into place. He laughed, “Oh my god, there's no way...”

Pidge elbowed him before turning to give a shy smile to Hunk, “H-Hey...guess we did end up seeing each other after all…”

“Um, yep! We sure did!” Hunk laughed nervously.

“Wow, this is great! We ended up getting everyone anyway!” Lance beamed, stepping around Hunk to extend his hand to Pidge, “I'm Lance. And whoa, Keith was right, you do look like Matt.”

“Lance, this is my little sister Katie. Or since she likes to be called by her nickname, Pidge. Katie, this is my co-worker Lance. And uh, I guess you already know Hunk?”

Lance looked to Keith questioningly, but he just shrugged. Pidge flushed, shrinking under her brother’s mirthful gaze. “Yep...sure do. Though uh, didn’t know that was actually your name...thought it was a nickname.”

Hunk rubbed the back of his neck. “Nope, my actual name. Not um...that we use our first names at work. I actually didn't even know you knew mine. I didn't really know yours.”

The others in the group balked at that confession. Here were two people who had been crushing on each other for who knew how long, but they didn’t even really know each other's first names! Keith and Lance exchanges exasperated glances; they had their work cut out for them.

“Well now that we’re all here,” Lance chirped, leaning over the table to snag his drink. Giving Keith a great view of his chest. “How about we head to the dance floor! I don't know how you guys were able to sit here, but man I need to keep going. Unless anyone objects?”

Keith wasn’t much of a dancer in general, but for the chance to dance with Lance for a bit, he would go. Shiro liked to dance and slipped out of the booth without hesitation. Matt bit his lip but slid out to stand beside Shiro, awkwardly shuffling in place. Pidge was on her feet a lot quicker, and the face Hunk made when he saw her fully was priceless. There was no way it was the lighting making his face that red.

“Lead the way!” Hunk declared, trying not to be too obvious in his staring.

Lance cheered, downed his drink, and then swayed as he turned and walked back to the dancefloor. It was hard to follow him through the crowd, Lance made it seem a lot easier than it was. When he found a clear enough spot, he spun and just kept dancing along with the music. His body moved so effortlessly, it was hard for Keith to keep his eyes off of him. All Lance had to do was smile at him, and Keith was suddenly moving as well, shuffling to get closer. Shiro and Matt were dancing sort of awkwardly together, and both Hunk and Pidge were...swaying mostly.

Lance grabbed Keith’s wrist and pulled him closer, not quite touching, but enough so he could hear him over the pounding bass. “Well, have any plans on your end?”

“Sorry?” Keith was assuming Lance didn’t mean Keith’s genius idea to pull him closer and dance against him. That was his great plan that he was sure would backfire if he tried.

“For those four! Like Shiro and Matt are at least dancing together, but Matt keeps side-eyeing Hunk and Shiro looked super conscious of Pidge.”

Lance spun him so that he could look at their friends, holding him by the hips as they danced. Keith hoped to god the music covered the sound of his heartbeat as he danced along with Lance. He could see what he meant, the others looking a little more than awkward at the siblings. “Maybe we should separate them? Like Shiro and Matt stay on the dance floor while Hunk and Pidge maybe just stay at the table? Pidge isn’t huge into dancing anyway.”

He was turned back, so he was facing Lance once more. Faces a lot closer than before. “Might be good. I’ll distract Shiro and Matt while you..somehow get Pidge and Hunk back to a booth.”

Keith nodded, and regretfully pulled himself away from Lance. He made his way through the crowd to Pidge, who was doing a lot of staring at the floor as she moved. “Hey, I’m not feeling like dancing right now. You guys wanna join me back at the booth?”

“Sure!” Pidge’s attention snapped back up, “I’m getting a little thirsty from the heat.”

“I’ll, um, grab some drinks. What do you want?” Hunk added, only loud enough so they could barely hear.

Pidge stammered out her drink preference, appletini, then slunk off back to the table. Keith was fine, so he told Hunk he was going to join Pidge and followed after her. She had her head down on the table when he got there. He sat beside her and she groaned. “Why am I so awkward!?”

“No idea. You don’t need to be though. You’ve managed to talk to him this far. Just keep up with that. He seemed really happy to see you here.”

“But he hasn’t said anything to me!!”

“Just give him some time? Bet he’s tongue-tied cause you look cute.

She shoved him, but smiled, “Thanks Keith.”

Keith saw Hunk making his way back to the table, “And no time like the present! Good luck!”

He took off, weaving his way back to the dance floor before Pidge had a chance to get a word in. It was hard to find where they had all been, but he finally spotted Shiro. Unfortunately, Shiro wasn’t dancing with Matt anymore, that place being taken by three girls in too tight dresses. He scanned the area, but didn't see either Matt or Lance in the area. Shiro caught his eye with a pleading look, clearly wanting to be away from the girls that we're dancing just a little too close, but way too nice to shove them off himself. Keith was not that nice, and bodily moved his way between them to get at Shiro, getting him a ways away from the girls despite their screeching protests.

He frowned, “Where’s Matt?”

“I don’t know! He was right beside me, and we were actually having a great time, but then those women swarmed me and he was gone!” Shiro complained, brushing back his shock of white bangs, “Where did you go?”

“To get something to drink,” he lied, “Now come on, let's try and find Matt.”

“And Lance?” Keith could hear the smirk in his voice.

He shrugged, and grabbed Shiro’s arm, pulling him along. They didn't find Matt, no matter how much they searched, but they did find Lance chatting it up with a guy at the bar. As soon as he spotted them, he excused himself and came over, “Have you seen Matt?”

“Ah, I think he said something about the bathroom,” Lance replied uncertainly.

“I’ll go look for him,” Shiro noted, ducking away quickly.

Lance sighed, running his fingers through his damp hair, “This isn’t turning out the way I’d hoped.”

“Think there’s anything we can do about it?”

“Well considering Matt is actually waiting for a prime moment to go all ‘protective big brother’ on Hunk and not in the bathroom, I’m gonna go with no. Plus he mentioned to me that it’d be super awkward to try to further anything with Shiro when his sister was here.”

Keith frowned. All their planning wasted, just simply because their friends were awkward and now there were siblings involved. “Well, what do we do now?”

Lance smiled, grabbing one of Keith’s hands and pulling him back towards the dance floor, “ _We_ can dance. They can handle themselves for a while.”

There was no way Keith was arguing with that. He let himself be led where Lance wanted, and lost himself in the music once they started. Dancing with Lance was easy, he was talented and it was fun to try and move with him, to match his moves. He couldn’t see their friends anymore, but he also didn’t care. In that moment, it was just him and Lance. They could figure out how to get their friends together later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Didn't really know how to end this chapter, so this seemed good enough!! I promise I will give some address to what happened in the next chapter~!
> 
> Sorry if the texting is strange. I'm not sure if I should space it out more to make it more readable. Let me know if it's difficult! Although all spelling and short form is intended!
> 
> If you like this fic, like this chapter, let me know! It gives me motivation!
> 
> Until then!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here with yet another chapter! Also, dying over the Keith Vlog! that boy!  
> I sort of edited the summary a bit, just added an excerpt from chapter three. Let me know if it makes it look better or worse! 
> 
> Big thanks to my beta, callmesinpai for getting this back so quickly to me! 
> 
> And always super grateful for all the comments and kudos you guys give me! It helps me beyond helpful, I can't even begin to express it!
> 
> Anyway, without further delay, the next chapter!

Keith had woken up Sunday morning with one of the worst hangovers he’s ever had. He hadn't even had that much to drink the night prior but it was still kicking his ass. He groaned and lay in bed, not bothering to get up as he didn't have to today, and tried to recall the night before.

After dancing with Lance for a good long while, they broke away to do a few shots before finding their friends again. Unfortunately they learned they were rather competitive, and turned it into the most shots before someone gave up. Keith caved first after six shots since he never liked vodka in the first place, and Lance cheered in victory. It was adorable, and Keith didn't think the flush on his face was just from the alcohol. They stumbled to their booth, only to find Matt and Hunk. Matt was resting his chin in his hands, staring at Hunk as he spoke. Hunk looked extremely uncomfortable, but was at least looking Matt in they eye. As they neared, it was very apparent that Matt was basically asking Hunk twenty questions; like what he did, where he was from, and what his intentions were with Pidge.

Lance whistled lowly and pulled Keith back, “I've never seen Matt like this before. Not gonna lie, it's kinda hot. Him all serious and protective.”

There was a twisting sensation in his gut at those words, but Keith knew he couldn't let them bother him especially not when he knew Matt was head over heels for Shiro, “Let’s find the other two.”

Pidge and Shiro were at the bar-how they missed them originally they would never know-chatting about Matt. Pidge looked like she was pretty comfortable with Shiro already, teasing him about his crush on her brother, but also giving him some sound advice on how to advance their relationship. Keith sighed, “I think our plan failed.”

Lance hummed, leaning on Keith slightly, “Bummer. Welp, guess it's back to the old drawing board,” he swayed as he moved to look Keith in the face, “I'm gonna get another drink. Care to join me?”

The rational part of Keith’s mind knew that he shouldn’t, knew that he should get Lance to stop too. But that part of his brain was silenced as soon as he looked right into Lance’s eyes. They were just so blue and so so close. He swallowed and nodded, allowing himself to be pulled to the bar.

That was all he had remembered. And that was Sunday. It was Monday now, and he still didn't exactly know what happened after that. He remembered that Shiro had been the one to help him home, but the time in between was just blank. He had been tempted to ask Lance, text him if he remembered, but he was far to chicken to do that. Just in case he did so something stupid. Hopefully if he did, Lance forgot too.

He knew he couldn't afford to think about it too much now, his class was starting in ten minutes and he needed to focus. The professor had no tolerance for distracted students not late students. He was crossing the courtyard, head ducked down as he hurried to class, when he was called to.

“Keith!!!” he whipped around to see Lance racing towards him. Before he could respond, Lance was on his knees in front of him, hands clasped together, “ _Please_ tell me that you’ll make me the happiest man alive!”

People were staring, whispering what was happening, and Keith was sure it didn't help matters that his face was rivaling his cropped jacket, “W-What!?”

“My model for my final project broke his leg partying too hard yesterday! He won't be able to model for me in six weeks, and I need a new model! I asked Matt and Hunk already, but they shot me down, so _please_ tell me you’ll do it!”

There were a few disappointed murmurs as the crowd that had formed dispersed. Keith’s pulse settled down, and he tried not to look Lance right in the eye, “I don’t know Lance...I’ve got my own finals to worry about...I’m not sure I have the time.”

“You only have to spare like ten minutes for me to get your measurements, and then like half an hour here and there for adjustments and trials. The final day, where you’d be showing off my design, isn't on a day where any other classes have finals. So please?!” Lance begged.

Keith didn't even have to look at Lance to know he was giving him puppy dog eyes. He also knew he couldn't resist them if he tried. With a heavy sigh, he adjusted his bag that had nearly fallen off his shoulder, “Alright, I'll do it. But not now. I have to get to class, or I’ll be late.”

Lance grabbed his hands, gripping them tightly. “Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!!! You are the best person in the entire universe!!” he scrambled up and brushed the grass off his knees, “I'll text you later about meeting up to get your measurements!”

Lance ran off, still waving goodbye and shouting Keith’s praises as he left. Keith wished his jacket would swallow him, to hide him from the amused gazes of the people in the courtyard. Keith scurried to his class, which he was a minute late for, but the lecture his professor gave didn't faze him at all. After class, the girl who always sat beside him hovered as he was packing up, “I don't think I've ever seen you smile,” she noted.

Keith shrugged, “I don't find it necessary to smile all the time.”

“So I've noticed, but I was beginning to think you couldn't?”

“What changed your mind?” Keith muttered, hoping she’d get to her point soon so he could leave.

She stared at him, before throwing her head back and laughing loudly, “Haven’t you noticed? You’ve had a smile on your face since you walked into class?”

 

* * *

 

>> my house. Tomorrow night?

<< sure, just send me the address

Keith was curled up on the couch in his and Shiro’s apartment, trying to finish an assignment, But generally failing. Shiro was busy flitting around the house, making sure he had everything before he went to work, “Keith have you seen my hat?”

“You leave it in your car so you never forget it,” Keith responded, trying to make it seem like he was doing his work, “You’ve never freaked out so much before work. What's the deal this time?”

“It's my first international flight! I know I'm just the co-pilot, but still! It's exciting and I'll be gone for a little longer. I can't forget anything,” Shiro called from his bedroom, checking his personal luggage.

Keith rolled his eyes, “It’ll be fine, Shiro. But you need to get going or you’re going to be late.”

Shiro cursed from his room, and rushed out with his suitcase in tow. He gave a quick goodbye before running out the door. Keith let out a puff of laughter before turning his attention back to his phone.

<< can I bring Pidge with? Might be an opportunity to move things along with her and Hunk.

>>omg dude yes!! I'm not gonna tell him tho. You guys just show up!

Keith swapped the convo to Pidge.

<< Hey I'm going to Lance’s to help with a project of his tomorrow night

<< come with?

>> hell nah. I don't want to interrupt your gross flirting

<< ugh we wont! Please? I need some backup!

>> I still haven't forgiven you for last weekend

<< how was I supposed to know the guy you have been crushing on was Lance’s best friend?

>> and then you ditched me so we could talk! We didn't talk Keith! Just sat in awkward silence until my brother showed up and had me leave to ‘get drinks’. Today was super awkward at work!

>> so no!

<< we come on pidge! He’s gonna be taking my measurements and stuff. We wont be there for long

<< and won't it be a good opportunity to make fun of me?

>> hmm I do love watching you squirm…

<< of course you do. So you’ll come?

>> fiiiiiiine. Just tell me where to meet your gay ass

Keith would be going right after class, so he just told Pidge to meet him after class. Hopefully she could forgive him for setting up another attempt at getting her and Hunk to at least be able to chat together outside work. There was hope for those two, but only if they got past this first awkward stage. And if he was being completely honest with himself, he didn't know how he would be able to handle Lance touching him in all sorts of ways-even if it was completely unsexual- without a little bit of backup. Without Pidge there, Hunk would probably make himself scarce, leaving them completely alone. Which could either be really great, or really really bad. And personally he was sure it was going to be the latter.

He switched  back to Lance, pondering if he should change the contact name from ‘cute barista’ just in case anyone saw it.

<< she'll come. But she's mad about the club, so we will have to tread lightly

>> will do my best! Hunk has been moping anyway, so this might do him some good!!!

 

* * *

 

Pidge was in a large hoodie that looked far too big to be her brother's when Keith met her at the front of his school. She grunted in acknowledgment, not looking up from her phone as they walked towards Lance and Hunk’s apartment. Pidge nearly walked into three telephone poles, too focused on her phone. After the third time of grabbing Pidge by the hood and dragging her away, Keith spoke up, “Who are you even texting?”

“Ah some guy keeps messaging me. Wants to meet up for coffee and discuss some algorithms,” she mumbled, “He says he's from here, goes to the university, but he’s being like super creepy.”

“Hence the larger than normal hoodie,” Keith noted, worry twisting in his gut, “You know if you have a problem, you can tell me. I can definitely make that guy back off.”

Pidge nudged him with her elbow, “I know, but I think I'm schooling him pretty hard. He’s not as smart as he's trying to make himself sound. I can tell. If anything happens though, I will let you know first.”

“Not your brother?”

Pidge snorted, “Was wondering how long it would take you to bring him up. But no, not my brother. Have you seen him? He wouldn't be taken seriously.”

“Fair enough….but seriously Pidge? I have known you since high school, and I know you kept to yourself, but you directly lied about having a sibling. Why?”

She sighed, and took a moment before speaking again, “Once upon a time, there were two siblings who were extremely close despite their four year age difference. Like close enough that both siblings had been teased about being incestuous on many occasion-which resulted in a few broken noses when one got older,” Keith let out a laugh, imagining an even smaller Pidge pummeling larger bullies for being rude, “But anyway, both siblings were geniuses and while the younger jumped grades faster than most, the oldest decided to take his time even though he could have been graduated before any of his friends made it to high school. The oldest promised his little sister that he would go to the university in their hometown once he graduated. That it was his dream school and he would still be close to his little thirteen year old sister,”

“Okay...not sure why you’re telling this story like this, but go on.”

“Because I can. Anyway, turns out the brother lied and planned on leaving to go to a school overseas because it had an amazing geoscience program. He didn’t bother to tell his little sister this until the day before he was leaving. Making the young girl furious and betrayed. So she declared that she didn’t have a brother at all and when she entered high school that September, she kept that promise to herself.”

Keith stared at her, “That’s why you told me you were an only child? Because he left to go to what I assume was a really good school overseas?”

Pidge flushed, “Look, I was thirteen and really hurt. I know it was dumb, but I can’t take back what I did. He’s also the reason I disappeared right after high school.”

“Explain that. Because you worried the hell out of me. You just...vanished.”

She fiddle with the drawstrings on her hood, “Matt went missing after a year of being overseas. It was just supposed to be a simple field trip, collect some rock samples, sight-see a bit, come back. But he and two other people got kidnapped and taken by some radical group. He was only missing for three months before he was pronounced dead. I refused to believe it though, and I promised to find him as soon as I could. An opportunity arose right after high school, so I took it. It took me a year to find him, and the situation was incredibly touchy. He was roughed up pretty bad, but he was alive. He’s got a really nasty scar on his face, which he covers with theater makeup. Don’t bring it up, he gets...upset.”

The way her voice was choking up, Keith figured Matt wasn’t the only one who got upset. He slung an arm around her shoulder and pulled her into a half hug as they walked, “I’m sorry. Thanks for finally telling me.”

She sniffed and leaned into him more, despite that it made it harder to walk, “You’re welcome. But if you tell anyone I showed some weakness, I’ll deny it.”

“Of course,” Keith smiled, “Now come on, Lance’s apartment is just around the corner.”

“I still don’t know why I’m here. You two were doing just fine being drunk and flirty with Lance on the weekend.”

“What!?”

Pidge pulled away, looking at him, “Do you not remember?”

“Remember what?” Keith was feeling a sense of dread.

“Oh my god, you don’t remember!” She laughed, “Dude, you two were basically all over each other. You guys were already pretty drunk when you came over to me and Shiro at the bar. And despite the fact that Shiro tried to slow you two down, you still drank more. Shiro had to physically drag you out of the club when it was time to go, and all the while you were complaining that Shiro was ruining your ‘bonding moment’ with Lance.”

Keith groaned, “Please tell me you’re joking.”

“Nope! Hunk had to carry Lance home on his back, since he was too drunk to walk. Not sure how you managed to stay on your feet, but that’s what happened,” she shrugged, “it was pretty entertaining either way.”

Keith wished his jacket had a hood so he could hide in it. If he had hoped for Lance to not remember before, he was definitely hoping now. Keith wasn’t sure if he would be able to handle it if Lance remembered any of that. And god knows what he and Lance had been talking about or doing to make drunk Keith declare it a bonding moment. If he hadn’t promised to help Lance out with his school project, then he would be turning around and running home.

“Keith! Pidge!” Keith looked up to see Lance waving at them from the front of his apartment building, plastic bag held in his other hand.

Pidge nudged him and laughed under her breath before waving at Lance. Keith gave a small wave back, trailing after a near bouncing Pidge, “What’s in the bag?”

“Snacks. Can’t have guests over without having some snacks,” Lance beamed, “Now come on! I’m on the fourth floor and this building doesn’t have an elevator.”

He unlocked the front door and let the other two in. They followed him up the narrow stairs to the fourth floor, “How the hell did you get furniture up here?” Pidge asked, nearly out of breath.

Lance grimaced as he walked down the hall to his apartment, “Lots of patience and tools. There are very few pieces of furniture in my apartment that can’t be taken apart.”

They stopped at his apartment and waited for him to unlock the door, “Welcome! _Mi casa es vuestra casa_!”

They shuffled in and were amazed at the amount of space inside the apartment in comparison to the stairway and the halls. It was also a lot cleaner than Keith had expected, housing two busy twenty year olds. It almost looked too pristine to have people actually living there. Pidge made herself at home, as Lance suggested, exploring the kitchen and living room area. Keith held back with Lance, “Where’s Hunk?”

“Out for a walk, I think. That’s what he was doing when I went to the corner store,” Lance went and put his shoes away, “Actually, his shoes are here, so he must be back.”

Just as he said it, a door opened and they heard padding into the living room, “Lance! Did you use up all my conditioner again?!”

Hunk made it to the middle of the room, wearing nothing but a towel around his waist. Which would have been totally cool for Keith and Lance, but it wasn’t just them at the time. Pidge just happened to be coming back towards them. As soon as she saw Hunk, she froze in place, eyes wide as she took in the sight before her, “Oh my god!”

It was almost in slow motion that Hunk turned his head to face Pidge. There was a resounding yelp, and the slow motion feel shattered as Hunk held onto his towel tighter and raced back into the bathroom. Keith and Lance looked at each other in horror, “Oh shit…”

Pidge’s face was redder than Keith had ever seen it. He slowly approached her, keeping his distance in case she felt like smacking him for getting her into this situation, “You doing okay?”

She nodded, swallowing before speaking, “I didn’t know he had tattoos.”

Lance laughed, a little awkwardly as he brought the snacks into the room. “Y-Yeah. He’s a little shy about them. It took almost a year of living together for me to see them, and I’ve been friends with him for years!!”

Keith hadn’t gotten a very good look, but both of Hunk’s shoulders and back were covered in intricate black patterns. The side Keith saw the clearest held a turtle in the center of the designs. The other side he got a glimpse of when Hunk turned to run back into the bathroom wasn’t very clear, but he swore he saw a lizard. The back was hard to make out, but it looked stunning no matter what. Lance sighed, “I’m gonna go check on him,” He handed the snacks to Pidge, “Help yourselves. Watch whatever you’d like on tv. I’ll probably be like twenty minutes to calm him down.”

Pidge took the snacks and all but automatically turned and headed to the couch. Keith followed her and by the time he got there, she was already curled up munching away on chips watching Kitchen Nightmares. As soon as he sat beside her, she chucked a throw pillow at him, “I hate you.”

“I didn’t know he was going to be naked!”          

“But you knew he was going to be here! That he lives here! I just thought they were friends! Not roommates!” she whined.

“If I had told you, you wouldn’t have shown up. And I wasn’t lying when I said I could use your support on this,” Keith sighed, “Besides, I don’t really see you _complaining_ about what you saw.”

Pidge shoved him and went back to munching, letting herself be immersed in the hilarity of Gordon Ramsey’s over the top reactions. And true to his word, Lance came back within twenty minutes, Hunk now dressed and trailing after him. “Alright! Now, let’s get some measuring done!  Keith, up! And take off that fashion disaster you call a jacket.”

Pidge snickered, and Keith made sure to throw the jacket on top of her. As he moved over to Lance, he shot a small apologetic smile to Hunk, and nodded to the couch. Hunk scratched his neck, but moved to take Keith’s place. Pidge was instantly silent, huddling in on herself more. Lance sighed, but snagged a measuring tape and a notebook from his school bag, “Now, arms and legs spread. This won’t take long.”

Keith could hear Hunk and Pidge laughing quietly, awkwardness between them seemingly gone as they watched Lance get ready. Keith stood as he was told, and Lance finally got to work. He took his time going through his list of required measurements. Keith shuddered at his touch a few times, hoping Lance didn’t notice. There wasn’t anything sexual about it, but something about how diligently Lance was working did something to him. The expression on Lance’s face was hard to look away from. He tried to concentrate on listening to the yelling from the television, but with Lance murmuring requests on how to turn and his hands constantly on him, it was hard.

Finally after what felt like an hour-which in reality was more like ten minutes-Lance was finished. He dug into his bag and grabbed a large folder, “Alright, this is my idea, and what you’ll be wearing in six weeks.”

The outfit was thankfully nothing outrageous. It was a jacket, graphic t-shirt, and jeans. Lance had scribbles on the corner of about potential accessories, and an infinity scarf was underlined a few time, “This is really great!”

“Thanks!! It’s going to be a _lot_ of work, especially since I’m working with both denim and leather. Plus I have to get the graphics on the shirt,” he sighed, “but it will definitely be worth it! It meets all the requirements, and it’s going to look amazing on you! I’ll just have to figure out what to do with that mullet of yours.”

Keith frowned, “You’re not going to cut it are you?”

“Nah, not unless you want me to. I’ll figure it out. Besides, it suits you,” Lance winked at him and Keith thought he was dying.

“Are you two done flirting over there?” Pidge called from the couch, “Hunk said Lance claims he’s the Crash Bandicoot champion, and I need to defend my title.”

“Oh puh-leeese, tiny one. I’ve been playing Crash since before you were born!”

Hunk sighed, “Lance you haven’t been playing since before you were two. Hell, you didn’t even play until middle school.”

Keith laughed, “She’s got you beat there, Lance. Legend has it she beat the game in one sitting at the tender age of seven.”

“I was eight, actually, but still. Show me what you got, barista boy!”

And just like that, it became a battle to see who could beat the time trials the fastest. Keith sat on the ground beside Lance, who had all but shoved Pidge into Hunk’s lap. Hunk didn’t seem to mind, staying squashed over at the other side of the couch, Pidge pressed right up beside him. Pidge was definitely kicking Lance’s ass, and it was obviously frustrating the other boy. Eventually, Lance tossed the controller down and crossed his arms, “Fine, you win! You little demon. You are definitely related to Matt.”

Pidge snickered as she finished the bonus and most difficult level from the first game, “If you think I’m good, you should see Matt. He taught me everything I know.”

Lance groaned and Keith gave him a light nudge, “Still, you’d kick my ass any day.”

“Keith anyone can kick your ass at video games. That’s not saying much.”

He shrugged, and Lance laughed, “Well, I appreciate you trying to cheer me up all the same,” he let out a yawn that was far too adorable to come out of someone ever, “I can’t believe it’s so late! I’ve gotta work tomorrow too, ugh!”

Keith glanced at his phone to see it was just after eleven, “Yeah, shit. We should get going too.”

“Hey, you’re still going to stop by The Five Lions tomorrow right?”

Keith flushed, standing up, “Yep, I’ll um, see you tomorrow. Usual time.”

Pidge hopped off the couch, snickering, “You have a set time where you go to the cafe?”

“I guess. You’re welcome to come along.”

“Ugh, no thank you. I know you go before seven in the morning, and that is far too early in the morning for me. Besides, I don’t want to go have coffee and find out I’m allergic to cats like my father and brother.”

“Whoa, whoa what!?” Lance gaped, “Matt is allergic to cats?!”

“Yeah...he didn’t mention that?”

“He most certainly did not! No wonder he always seems sickly!”

“I can’t believe my brother…,” Pidge sighed, “Anyway, nice seeing you again. I’ll see you tomorrow Hunk.”  
“Y-Yeah! See you tomorrow!”

The two roommates followed their guests to the door. Keith was ready to leave, and was waiting for Pidge who was taking forever to get her shoes on. As soon as they were on, she fidgeted with her drawstrings again, “A-And Hunk?”

“Y-Yes?” Hunk’s voice was a stuttery mess.

Pidge bit her bottom lip, “Your tattoos are stunning.”

And then she was out the door and down the hall before Keith could even see her. Hunk was red in the face, but he was smiling. Lance looked like he was biting back some laughter, “I’ll see you tomorrow, Keith.”

“See you tomorrow, Lance.”

 

* * *

 

Keith had gone to The Five Lions on Wednesday as per usual, but he also showed up on Saturday too. Pidge came with him, not having the excuse of work, and because they could go at a later time so neither would be late for work. Hunk said he’d probably join up in a while, but he didn’t give them a time. Pidge took so many pictures of her brother-who was covering someone's shift-in his uniform, getting a few selfies in just for good measure. Matt tried to swat her away discreetly, so other customers wouldn’t say anything. Allura was over the moon about meeting Pidge finally. She gushed about how adorable Pidge was until Pidge was able to slip away with her extra large espresso filled drink to where Keith was waiting.

“She’s so friendly! Why is she so friendly?”

Keith shrugged, scrolling through his phone, “Don’t know. Some people are just that friendly, Pidge.”

“It’s like she’s from another planet…like some alien princess that’s just blending in with us mere humans.”

“I doubt she’s an alien. Although Coran on the other hand….”

The two slipped into an easy debate over what made Coran and Allura feel so alien. Red was back with Keith, a little closer to him, but still eyeing him warily. One of the calicos kept coming over, or it might have been both just taking turns. Pidge learned very quickly that she was not in fact allergic to cats, and she quite enjoyed having them around. When her brother took his lunch break, he joined them, petting any cats that came by. Pidge bugged him relentlessly about his allergy, but also had him gang up against Keith in their debate. Even Matt thought Allura was more alien than Coran.

Hunk showed up just after Matt went back for his break. Keith and Pidge had paid for three hours, so they weren’t in any rush. Having met Allura once before, and now meeting Coran, Hunk thankfully took Keith’s side. Lance, who was just taking his lunch, declared that both of them were aliens. There was no way anyone could be so chipper as early in the morning as they worked, and they stayed that happy all day! The lazy Himalayan took a liking to Hunk, sitting at his feet until Hunk picked him up and plopped the cat in his lap. Keith thought Hunk might start crying with how affectionate the cat- Butter- was being with him.

The chatter was nice, even when it switched to video games. Keith kept scrolling through his phone, checking if he had any emails from work. He had one, from his supervisor. It was a link to a news article, with the question of ‘Isn’t your roommate a pilot overseas?’. Keith clicked the link, and his heart sank. The article was about a flight returning from Southeast Asia that crashed into the Pacific Ocean due to pilot error, and there were no survivors. They listed the passengers, followed by the crew members, and Keith thought his heart stopped completely when he reached the pilot that was supposedly responsible for the crash.

The pilot was listed as Takashi Shirogane.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AAAAAAAAANNNNNNND for anyone who knows my writing, knows I not only love cliffhangers, but I cannot just write something cute without adding some drama in there. For those who don't....sorry?
> 
> I think the Spanish I had Lance say was an informal version of 'my house is your house'. Anyone who knows Spanish, please feel free to correct me!!
> 
> And I LIVE for Hunk with traditional Samoan tatu! The one on his back is a stingray. I was only going to give him the turtle, but then I just couldn't decide. So hunk ended up with a lot more tatu then anticipated! 
> 
> Comments and Kudos always appreciated!
> 
> Until next time!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I wanted to have this out as soon as possible, just due to the reactions for the last chapter. 
> 
> Huge huge HUGE thanks to my beta, callmesinpai, for editing this and telling me my pacing was garbage at the end. Seriously wouldn't post anything without her. 
> 
> We pick up where we left off last chapter, so uh, enjoy?

Keith stared in shock at his phone. Rereading the news article over and over until it was ingrained into his mind. He hadn't even realized he had been crying until suddenly there was a weight on his lap. He glanced down from his phone to see Red, sitting in his lap and making a noise that he supposed was supposed to be a purr. It was more like the deep rumble of an old truck engine, but it was a purr nonetheless. 

“Keith!?” Lance’s voice drew his attention up the the group. They were all looking at him with wide-eyes, “Are you okay!? You’re crying.”

Keith shook his head, and tossed his phone to Pidge-who was closest. Without the phone in his hands, Red nudged at his hand until Keith began to pet her lightly. Lance only glanced away from him when Keith threw his phone, otherwise he hadn't taken his eyes off Keith or Red. Pidge was a quick reader, scanning the contents of the article until she reached the end, “Keith...is Takashi Shirogane…?”

Keith nodded slowly, his voice cracking as he spoke, “Shiro. It’s Shiro.”

Pidge’s hopeful expression fell, “I’m so sorry, Keith.”

“What happened to Shiro!?” Lance was doing nothing to hide the concern in his voice.

Pidge read the article to both Lance and Hunk, low enough not to notify other customers in the area. Hunk and Lance had tears in their eyes by the time Pidge was finished, “God no…”

Lance turned his head to where Matt was, happily serving customers, “How do we break this to Matt?”

“I’ll do it…,” Pidge muttered, getting up to speak with Allura before distressing her brother.

Keith barely acknowledged that she left, just concentrated on petting the soft fur of the cat in his lap. He knew what Red was trying to do, that she was trying to help, but Keith wasn't positive anything could help. There was a weight beside him, and Keith expected another cat. However, an arm wrapped around him and held him close, “Keith, I’m so sorry.”

There was a crash of a broken mug from the counter, and Keith caught sight of Matt rushing into the back, Pidge trailing after him. Allura was up at the front, her usual friendly expression soured by grief. Lance squeezed his shoulders, “I should get back. Matt probably won't be able to function for a while. If at all,” he turned his attention to Hunk, “Hey man, will you…?”

“You got it. See you after work,” Hunk said calmly. 

Lance gave Keith one last squeeze, “You shouldn't be alone right now. Hunk will stay with you, okay?”

Keith nodded slowly, and Lance took off towards the counter before the afternoon rush hit. Red surprisingly hadn't moved once, still curled in Keith’s lap as he pet her. Hunk didn't try to talk to him, which he was thankful for. They didn't speak until Pidge came back, eyes red-rimmed, “He’s not taking it very well. Allura gave him the rest of the day off, but he won’t move.  He’s in hysterics.”

Hunk gently placed Butter on the ground and stood up, “Can I do anything to help?” 

“I don’t know. He’s locked himself in the cat room right now. Allura doesn't know if we should disturb him.”

“Isn't he allergic? What if he gets really sick?”

Pidge chewed at her bottom lip, “I think he took his medication?”

Hunk shook his head and turned to Keith, “Hey man, let's go get Matt and then head to mine and Lance’s apartment.”

It didn't take any coaxing from Hunk, Red dug her claws into Keith’s leg then hopped off, scampering away. It was as good a sign as any that he needed to get up and move. Pidge was ready back at the counter, speaking with Allura. They were allowed access into the back, and Allura led them personally to the door that Matt locked himself behind. She was one of the only two people who had a key-the other being Coran, “All I ask is that you please do not ascend the stairs in the room. My apartment is up there and I do leave that door unlocked.”

After promising her they wouldn't intrude, she unlocked the cat room and allowed them inside. Matt was huddled in a corner, Noir and one of the calicos on either side. He was sniffling and sneezing, but he didn't move away. Noir nudged his arm, letting out a soft meow that sounded so small for such a large cat. Pidge crouched down beside her brother, “Matt...come on, you’re gonna get sick. Hunk is going to take you back to his and Lance’s apartment.”

He shook his head, not looking up at his sister, “I'm fine here, Katie. Just leave.”

“I’m not going to do that,” she crouched down to her brother’s level, “You’re spiralling down again. I’m not going to let you deal with this alone.”

Matt didn’t make any moves to leave, but the cats slipped away from him, watching from a distance. Pidge looked at her friends, eyes pleading for help. Hunk bent down and scooped Matt up without hesitation, holding him bridal style. Matt protested, but Hunk just held tighter and carried him out of the room. One of the cooks, Rax, pointed them to the backdoor so they wouldn’t make a scene in the rest of the cafe. As it was people were beginning to question why three non-employees had just gone into the back. 

Once outside, Hunk set Matt down on his feet, “Sorry man, but we weren’t just going to leave you there. Allergy or no, it’s better to be with people that care.”

“You barely even know me!” Matt spat, visibly angry and distraught, “You’re only doing this because you have a thing for my sister!”

Hunk flushed, as did Pidge, but Hunk pressed on, “That’s not the reason I did this. Lance wanted me to look after you and Keith because he is concerned, and your sister is clearly very worried. Despite barely knowing each other, I do care. That’s just the person I am.”

Matt unclenched his fists and let out a sob, leaning his head against Hunk’s chest. Hunk gave him a few pats on the back, giving a small smile to Pidge. She mouthed ‘thank you’ to him before moving over to Keith. She didn’t say anything, just hugged him tightly around the middle. Keith put a hand on her shoulder, not to hold her closer or to push her away, just to ground himself to reality.

Hunk pulled a pack of tissues from his pocket, handing them to Matt once the shorter male pulled away, “Now come on, let’s head to my apartment. I’ll cook you guys lunch.”

 

* * *

  
Two weeks had passed, and it didn’t make the loss of Shiro any easier. Keith had tried to get answers out of the company he worked for, but any mention of the accident was quickly dismissed. There had been a large payout, they called it accidental death insurance, made to their joint account; so Keith wasn’t worried about bills on top of everything else. 

He had tried to contact the Shirogane household to give his condolences, but was unable to reach them. A quick call to his foster parents-who scolded him for half an hour about not calling more often first-let him know that the Shirogane's were currently in Japan visiting relatives for the rest of the month. His parents never watched the news, and were devastated by the news of Shiro’s death. They promised that they would personally pass on the message to the Shirogane's when they inevitably called to check up on their dog-which Keith’s parents were dog-sitting.

Matt had withdrawn a lot since the news, barely speaking and unable to force a smile for anyone. Allura stuck him in the kitchen doing prep work for the foreseeable future, until he was ready to start healing from the heartbreak. Keith showed up on his regular Wednesdays each week, but Matt didn’t come sit with him for his fifteen minute break. Red on the other hand, was becoming increasingly affectionate to Keith, but only to Keith. Allura herself tried to pet Red, only to be hissed and swatted at. Noir came out every time he was there, looking around before walking away from Keith. He was looking for Shiro, and it hurt every time to see it,

Lance was doing all he could be be supportive. He was hurting as well, but hiding it a lot better than Keith or Matt. He always made sure to sit with Keith on break, and tried his hardest to take Keith’s mind off of things. He spoke of how his project was going, complained about how difficult it was to sew denim and leather, but was proud of how it was turning out. Keith listened, grateful for the distraction, but it could only last so long. The cafe was a constant reminder of his lost friend, and so was his home.

Work and school where the only two places where he didn’t have memories with Shiro, but those were barely helping distract him, at least to the same extent that Lance was. His boss was an incredibly understanding man, and asked less of Keith than he normally would to not add more stress. His professors had been told, but being so close to the end of the year, they could only give him so much of a break. All they could really do was not yell at him if he was late or got distracted in class. He still had to complete his work though.

Pidge had suggested that they host a celebration of life for Shiro. It would give them all a chance to say goodbye, and they would all be together. Keith tried to argue that Shiro’s parents would probably host one once they were back from Japan and they would all be invited, but Pidge was insistent, “I think it will be good for us, for you and Matt especially.”

Keith caved eventually, after another week of pestering from Pidge and then Lance. Pidge had gone out of her way to contact Lance about convincing Keith it was a good idea; and as for Matt, it surprisingly hadn’t been as hard. Keith agreed and they planned it to be in his and Shiro’s apartment. Unfortunately, it had had gotten increasingly dirtier after the news of Shiro’s passing. Keith couldn’t find it in himself to care about the mess. Now that people were coming over though, he had to make sure everything was done, which he found was quite the struggle. Hunk would be coming over early on the day of to cook while Lance finished work and Pidge made sure her brother would actually show up like he promised. 

Hunk arrived, arms laden with groceries, at promptly seven in the morning. Keith had barely been awake, let alone functional when he let Hunk in. Hunk didn’t seem to mind, and made himself at home in Keith’s kitchen; making sure that he made Keith coffee and breakfast first. Keith was sure that if Pidge didn’t have a thing for Hunk, and he himself didn’t have a massive crush on Lance, he might consider pursuing Hunk himself; if he was into dudes that was.

Hunk made small talk about cooking, about working. He asked questions about Keith’s schooling, and work, but didn’t seem to mind the short answers he received. Keith watched him as he cooked, “Pidge is lucky to have someone like you crushing on her.”

The statement nearly made Hunk drop the bowl he was holding, and Keith watched his face heat up, “W-Well, I could say the same about you. Lance is pretty fortunate to have you in his life too.”

“That’s different. I just come visit him at work sometimes. And I guess I’m helping him out with his project.”

“But you do like him, don’t you?” From the tone in Hunk’s voice, he didn’t even need an answer to his question, and Keith didn’t give him one. Hunk smiled and shook his head, “Look man, I’m just saying, you being in Lance’s life had been a great thing for him. He could have asked anyone to help on his project, but he came and asked you right away.”

Keith frowned, “I thought he already asked you and Matt?”

“Nope, sure didn’t ask me. And Matt was asked originally before Lance asked one of his business classmates, but he turned Lance down hard. There’s no way he would ask Matt after that,” Hunk looked up and gave Keith a smile that was all too knowing, “My point is, I  _ think _ you have a pretty good chance. Fashion means a lot to Lance, so if he didn’t even hesitate to ask you, it means you’re pretty damn important to him. But you didn’t hear that from me.”

Keith looked away from Hunk, “Well, how about when you ask Pidge out, I might consider doing the same with Lance?”

“Ugh, you two are cut from the same cloth, I swear.”

“What do you mean?”

He shook his head, “Nothing you need to worry about right now. I’ll tell you at a later date.”

If Keith learned anything about Hunk from the month he knew the man, and from what Lance and Pidge have told him, was that as kind as Hunk was, he stuck to his guns. So Keith knew it was pointless to try and get anything more about of Hunk about what he meant. He was about to ask him about when he was planning on asking Pidge out, when his front door opened and the girl in question strolled in, “Sup.”

“Pidge? I thought you were with your brother?”

“Was, but he threatened if I kept hovering, he wouldn’t show up at all. He’s got until four to get here, and it’s only nine in the morning now,” she shrugged, flopping herself onto Keith’s couch, “If he doesn’t come then Hunk I am enlisting you to come with me and drag him over here.”

“You got it.”

Pidge made herself at home on Keith’s couch, playing random videos from Youtube. She ever so often glanced over at Hunk to watch him work. Keith always gave her a look when he caught her, and she would turn away from him, subtly flipping Keith off. 

Hunk made them lunch. It was only boxed mac and cheese, but it somehow tasted better when he made it then when Keith made it himself. He swore Pidge was tearing up, and she wasn’t even that fond of mac and cheese in the first place. Hunk sighed as he tucked in, “Dude, you need to go grocery shopping. You said you can cook, but all you’ve got is junk.”

“Been a little preoccupied,” Keith muttered.

Hunk’s gaze softened, “I know. If you need someone with a car...let me know.”

Keith still couldn’t believe someone as sweet as Hunk could even exist, “I will, thank you.”

Hunk shyly turned his attention to Pidge, “A-And you too, Pidge. For anything, anytime.”

Pidge made a sound that was a cross between choking and squeaking, “T-Thanks. I’ll, um, keep that in mind.”

Keith pondered letting them have some time alone together, but didn’t really feel up to leaving his apartment. He’d just have to endure their sickeningly sweet interactions, filing Pidge’s reactions to Hunk away for later teasing. 

Hunk finished up his baking; a cake that just needed to cool before icing, and a variety of cookies. Pidge snagged a few peanut butter ones that were fresh out of the oven, and Hunk didn’t even try to stop her, just muttered to be careful as they were hot.

Lance showed up promptly at three, carrying a bag full of alcohol. Hunk sighed, “I thought we were just having pop.”

“Eh, it’s a party. We can drown our sorrows tonight, and then start picking ourselves up tomorrow morning.”

Hunk shook his head, but didn’t argue it. Lance sat himself beside Pidge on the couch, “Where’s your brother?”

“He should be here before four. He promised.”

Lance hummed, “He better.”

Keith had been enlisted to help Hunk set up. He had prepared a dinner for them, as well as the desserts. The dinner was just a simple lasagna with caesar salad, a suggestion from Keith as it was one of Shiro’s personal favorites. The cake was now iced and in Keith’s mostly bare refrigerator, as were the drinks. As they waited for Matt so dinner could be put in the oven, Hunk and Keith joined the others to watch some terrible cooking show where everything the contestants did made Hunk cringe or verbally express his distaste.

When four rolled around, Pidge was angrily texting her brother about where he was and why he wasn't there yet. Hunk had started cooking the lasagna, and Lance was already whining about being hungry. Keith sat quietly, just letting himself take in all the noise of the people around him. The past three weeks and some had been too quiet. He was used to quiet when Shiro was away for work, but this time was different since he knew Shiro wouldn't just be coming home in a few days. It was nice now, to have other people around making all sorts of noises. 

Pidge tossed her phone to the side, “He took a nap, so he will be here shortly. Told him just to come in.”

“Well, dinner should be just about finished by the time he gets here,” Hunk said.

Lance groaned, “But that's going to be like another half an hour!”

“We’re waiting for him anyway, so suck it up. Time will pass before you know it,” Hunk responded coolly, clearly used to the complaining. 

Keith tried not to think about how cute Lance was when he was pouting, but it was hard. Ever since he had talked to Hunk earlier, it made him question why he was holding back. He knew that right now wasn't an ideal time mentally for him, what with the loss of his best friend still fresh in his mind and heart, but the possibility to be with Lance seemed to be becoming more real with each moment he spent with the other boy. He hoped it wasn't just wishful thinking, that he wasn't reading into what Hunk had been saying, but the only way to really know that was to ask. And he would, but not right away. 

The door opened, and Pidge sighed, “Finally.”

Keith got up to be a proper host and greet Matt, but before he could, there were footsteps heading to the living room, “Keith, please tell me that’s lasagna I’m smelling.”

The group all stared wide-eyes as the taller man entered the room. Broad shoulders, and a white splash of colour on otherwise black hair definitely did not belong to Matt Holt. Keith stumbled as he stood up, cautiously making his way forward, unable to believe his eyes “Shiro?”

“Uh, yeah?” Shiro looked around the room, finally noticing the company standing near frozen in place, “You all look like you’ve seen a ghost. Am I interrupting a party, or wh-”

Shiro didn’t even get a chance to finish his sentence before Keith ran to him, wrapping his arms tightly around his body. He was warm, and smelled like the expensive aftershave that he always took with him, solidifying that Shiro was really there, “Oh my god! You’re alive!”

There were thundering footsteps and then there was a lot more weight and warmth around him. Keith glanced to see the others had run over, joining in the hug around Shiro. There were tears, and choked laughter, and one very confused Shiro in the middle of it all, “I feel like I missed something. You thought I was dead?”

Keith pulled away, wiping a few stray tears away, “There was a news article saying the plane you were on crashed. Called it ‘pilot error’ and listed you as it’s pilot,” Keith looked his friend up and down, “What happened? I called the airline, but they refused to answer any of my questions.”

“I got avian flu when I ate something that wasn’t cooked right, then got mugged as my symptoms started to hit on my way to a doctor,” Shiro sighed, recalling his misadventure, “I was taken to a hospital and thankfully they took care of me without needing any ID. The police caught the guy with most of my stuff, and once I was finally fully conscious I called my boss because that was the only number I remembered. Apparently another pilot had taken over my job, but they didn’t change the flight log letting anyone know,” he frowned, “I told them to contact you and my parents so you wouldn’t worry. Clearly they didn’t. They thought I was dead too.”

“Doesn’t matter now. You’re here, you’re home.”

Shiro squeeze his shoulder before turning to give everyone a little affection, “Was that what all this was for? Because you thought I was dead?”

Lance wiped the tears out of his eyes, “Yeah. A celebration of life kind of deal, to remember you. Matt should be here soon too.”

“Matt’s coming over?”

No sooner had he asked, then the door opened. Everyone parted, backing away to leave Shiro standing facing towards the front door. Matt shuffled in, eyes dropped to the floor, “I’m here, Katie. Happy?” When he got no response, he looked up and just stared. His eyes went wide, visibly watering. He hesitantly stepped forward, not taking his eyes off Shiro for a moment, “Am I hallucinating? Please tell me I’m not hallucinating.”

Shiro gave Matt a small soft smile, “You’re not hallucinating, Matt. I’m really here.” 

Tears spilled over and he sprinted over to Shiro without hesitation. The taller of the two braced himself for a hug, but that was not what the shorter had in mind. Matt gripped Shiro’s face once he got close enough, yanking him down and pressing his lips against the other’s. Shiro only froze for a moment, out of shock more than anything, before pressing back, pulling Matt close and holding him tight. Pidge, Keith and Lance all whipped out their phones, taking pictures from different angles as the two kissed like they were the only two people around. Once they were done taking photos, it didn’t seem like Shiro and Matt were anywhere close to being done. Pidge rolled her eyes, “Get a room!”

They broke apart, and Matt hid his face against Shiro’s chest, burning red ears the only thing visible. Hunk chuckled good naturedly and moved to the kitchen to take the finished lasagna out, “I’ll just this here, shall I?”

Keith laughed, “You know, I think we’ll just give you two some time together. I need to make a call to my parents, since I kind of told them you were dead.”

Keith motioned for the others to follow, and they all did without question. Shiro and Matt were awkwardly standing in the middle of the room, still holding onto each other and not really looking as the others left, too caught up in each other and incredibly embarrassed. As soon as the rest of the group was out of the building, they all exchanged glances before bursting out laughing, “Oh my god! Who would have thought that  _ this _ was the situation that would get them together.”

Pidge wiped the tears away from her eyes, “I didn’t even know my brother had it in him. I’m so proud.”

Lance wrapped an arm around Keith’s shoulder, mostly just for support, “Well, I say this calls for a celebration! The booze may be back at your place, but we can always go out! Pizza anyone?”

“I could definitely go for some pizza, though I am super disappointed we didn’t get to try your lasagna, Hunk,” Pidge sighed.

“I’m sure they won’t eat the whole thing. Even if they did, I’ll make another and bring it to work for you, okay?”

Lance and Keith shared knowing smiles as Pidge stuttered out a cross between a thank you and telling Hunk he didn’t need to. Without trying to, two of their friends managed to get together. Eventually, they would work on those two, but for now what they needed was a few slices of pizza and time with their friends. They’d figure out a plan later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *sips tea* Did y'all honestly think I was gonna kill Shiro? And not tag for a major character death? Hellz nah. This was a little throw back to the first episode, but I could honestly never kill Shiro.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed it and huzzah for Shatt finally!! 
> 
> Come yell at me on tumblr if ya like, I'm raequaza there as well
> 
> Until next time!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I had wanted to get this out before season 4 aired....but clearly that didn't happen.
> 
> But man oh man can I just say *SPOILERS* Matt is everything I ever wanted, and I am so happy for his existence!
> 
> Been a little distracted lately...stuff in my personal life diverting my focus a little, but I won't let it stop me!
> 
> Huge thanks to my beta, callmesinpai, for always being there when I need her. Even if I'm just whining about how hard it is for me to write 
> 
> Note, I know like NOTHING about fashion, so I've just been kinda doing my best with small bits of research I can do. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

>> can u come to the studio after class?

>> i need u

Keith doubled checked that his professor still wasn’t paying attention before replying.

<< sure

<< won’t be til after 9 though

>> oh ill still be here

>> dying on the inside

<< want me to bring you coffee??

>> ugh please?

<< no problem

<< what do you want?

>> anything that is the exact opposite of that sludge you drink

Keith had to hide a laugh, trying to disguise it as a sneeze; and probably failing since a few people cast wary looks at him. He shot back a quick text to Lance that he would get the coffee and then waited for his class to end. Normally he could sit through the entire class without being bored, since it was one of the more interesting ones, but today he couldn’t wait for the class to be over. 

The coffee shop on campus was thankfully not overly busy, but the baristas were clearly wanting their shift to be over and that led to slower than normal service times. Keith tried not to be impatient, but every second he had to wait felt like an eternity. Finally, he got his usual and Lance’s overly sweet coffee then near sprinted to the arts department, which thankfully wasn’t that far from the cafe.

The arts department was one of the smaller builds on campus, but it was fairly tall. The fashion design students took up the vast majority of the top floor, having all of their studios and a few classrooms up there. Keith hadn’t been up to the studio yet, but from what Lance told him it was one of the larger ones. Stepping into the open door though, Keith stared in shock at the sheer amount of clutter that was around the cramped space. 

“Keith? Is that you?”

He hadn’t even seen Lance in corner, back to him and hunched over at a sewing machine. He hadn’t looked to see if Keith was there, focused more on what he was doing rather than who was around him. Keith smiled, “Who knows. I could be a serial killer, or a ghost”

Lance stopped sewing for a second, “That’s not funny man. There are ghosts in this building, I swear it.”

Keith moved his way through the fabric scraps and varying papers on the floor, “Sorry. Don’t think a ghost would bring you coffee though.”

Lance finally turned to him, swiveling in his chair, “Have I ever told you that you’re amazing? Because you are.”

Keith fought back the blush threatening to creep up on his cheeks as he handed the coffee to Lance. The boy took it and moaned after one sip, “Caramel macchiato, how did you know that was my favorite?”

“Just asked for whatever had a lot of sugar in it,” Keith leaned against the wall near Lance’s desk, slowly sipping his own coffee, “Glad you like it though.”

“Mhm~ I definitely do. Though, and I should have mentioned this before, you can literally tell any barista on campus that you’re getting me coffee, and they know what to make. They all know me by name.”

“Drink that much coffee here?”

“It’s how I survive,” Lance took another sip then hopped off his chair, “Now, I need you to take off your jacket.”

Keith set his coffee on the cleanest edge of the desk and shrugged out of his jacket. Lance went over to the nearby dress form and plucked a leather jacket off of it, “Try this on for more.”

Keith took the jacket from Lance and slipped into the comfortable black jacket. It was nicer than any clothes Keith had ever really owned before, and he had owned some nice stuff. Lance beckoned him into the center of the room and then circled him several times, smoothing down the shoulders, and tugging at the hem, “That fits you well.”

“Thanks? I mean you took all the measurements and stuff, plus you made it. It’s really incredible”

“You like it?” Lance’s face lit up, expression near blinding.

“Y-Yeah. It’s great. I wish I could keep it honestly.”

Lance giggled, causing Keith’s brain to stop functioning for a while, “Well if my prof doesn’t wanna keep it, then maybe you can.”

“Really? Wouldn’t you want to keep it? You did make it after all.”

“I mean yeah I did, but the point of what I want to do is to see other people wearing the clothes I create. Besides, I have a lot of my own stuff already. This outfit included.”

The outfit was just a simple blue plaid over shirt, a white t-shirt, and jeans. But it definitely wasn’t something that was just bought somewhere; it fit him too well. It suited him though, and Keith had a very hard time not staring as Lance turned around and leaned over his desk, “Now let’s see here…”

A warm knit scarf was wrapped around his neck. Lance stood back and smiled, admiring the look, “That turned out better than I thought. This was the first infinity scarf I ever made, but it looks really really good with that jacket.”

It was black in colour, soft and warm, and while Keith normally wasn’t a scarf guy, he never wanted to take this one off. Unfortunately, Lance plucked it back from him and placed it back on the desk before settling down into his chair, “Okay then, just gotta finish up these jeans and then do the shirt real quick and we’re good to go!”

“And the show is…?”

“Exactly a week from today, so you best be ready! And don’t worry about your hair or anything. I’ve got a very lovely friend that will be helping with all that.”

“As long as you keep your promise that I don’t have to cut it off, I’m not worried.”

Lance snorted, “I promise I won’t let any harm befall that atrocious mullet of yours,” he went back to sewing, “You wanna stick around? I’m not much company when I’m working, but I wouldn’t complain if you wanted to stay.”

This time Keith couldn’t help the flush on his cheeks, “Y-Yeah, I’d like that. I don’t have anywhere to be.”

Lance shot him a soft smile that melted Keith’s heart, then turned back to his work. Keith moved back to his place against the wall, drinking his coffee with slightly trembling hands, watching Lance work. The whir of the sewing machine was oddly soothing, and Keith nearly lulled off a few times, trying hard not to think about how attractive Lance was; especially when he was concentrating. 

Another hour was spent like that, until a security guard poked his head in and informed them that they had half an hour to get cleaned up and head out before he had to lock up. Lance sighed dramatically, but did as he was told. The jeans were nearly completed, and Keith was excited to wear them. They strolled out of the studio together, Keith fighting with himself to not brush his hand against Lance’s as they walked, “Thank you for coming by. I’ll need you to pop by a few more times before the show, if that’s alright with you”

“Yeah, no worries, just text me when you need me, and I’ll be there.”

Lance clasped a hand on Keith’s shoulder, “Thanks man. I appreciate you doing all this.”

Keith had to remind himself to breath before he spoke, “Any time.”

* * *

The day of the fashion show came faster than Keith had realized. Lance was a bundle of nerves three days prior, and he was still sending anxious texts to Keith about making sure he was going to be there, that he wasn’t backing out. Keith had to assure him several times that he wasn’t going to back out, and he was already at the university so Lance could chill out. He had taken time off of work just for this, and he wasn’t going to skip out now; especially when it meant so much to Lance. 

The arts building was packed with students from all different courses, but the top floor was by far the busiest of them all. People were shouting and running around at a frantic pace. It took Keith twice as long to get into Lance’s corner studio space. As he entered the door, he came face to face with a lanky man that was definitely not Lance, “Uh?”

“Yo McClain! You expecting some emo kid?”

“That’s my model, Reimer. Let him in.”

The man sized Keith up, but let him pass anyway. If Keith had through the place was a mess before, it was nothing compared to how it was now. He nearly tripped three separate times to get to where Lance was frantically going over his work, “You’re here early.”

“You kept freaking out about me not making it, so here I am.”

Lance hummed in response, so busy fretting over the outfit to give anything more. Keith watched silently as he worked, not wanting to disturb him or take away his focus. There was a chuckle from the opposite corner of the room. A young red-headed girl was seated at one of the other desks, hand sewing buttons onto a green jacket, “He gets so intense, doesn’t he?”

Keith shrugged, not really knowing what to say. Lance spoke to the girl  instead, “Not all of us are prodigies like you are, and we have to work extra hard to get top marks.”

The girl laughed good-heartedly, but said nothing more. Just gave Keith a small knowing smile before returning back to her work. Lance muttered something under his breath in Spanish, but carried on what he was doing. It didn’t take much longer, and when Lance was finally finished, he let out a whoop, “Okay Keith! Now just let me pack this up and head downstairs to the theater!”

“Have fun, Lance! Make sure you kick Nyma’s ass,” The girl called, not looking up from her work. 

“Thanks Flo! I’ll try!”

Lance giddily packed up, before grabbing Keith’s wrist and dragging him out of the room in a flash. Keith didn’t even have time to feel giddy about the feel of Lance’s hand on his, only followed blindly as Lance dragged him down the halls, yelling at people to politely get out of his way. He didn’t bother with the elevator, taking the stairs instead. Keith nearly stumbled a few times, “Whoa, Lance slow down. We’re not going to be late.”

That seemed to halt the other boy. He stopped on the landing, taking a moment to collect himself. He realized that he was holding onto Keith and slowly took his hand away. He nervously ran the fingers of his now free hand through his hair and gave Keith a bashful smile, “Sorry, just anxious, you know?”

“Yeah, I get it,” Keith gave a warm smile, “This have anything to do with Nyma? I don’t think I’ve heard that name before.”

Lance flushed, “She’s uh...in my program.”

“Yeah, kind of figured that.”

Lance sighed and continued to head downstairs. Keith trailed after him, “I spent probably the entirety of first year trying to woo her. I thought she was just playing hard to get, but really she already had a boyfriend and was just fucking with me. After that she basically became my rival. We’ve been fighting for top spot in class ever since.”

“Well, let’s not disappoint then, shall we?”

Lance looked like he wanted to cry right then, but shook his head and smiled instead, “Let’s go. Shay is probably already waiting for us.”

“Shay?”

“You’ll see!”

* * *

Shay was probably the toughest looking woman Keith had ever met in his life. She didn’t look like she belonged in a makeup artistry program, but rather a world class bodybuilding. She was taller than both Keith and Lance, hell she was even taller than Shiro. It would almost be intimidating if not for the fact that she had the kindest expression as they entered one of the designated make-shift dressing rooms, “Lance! It is good to see you!” She turned her kind smile to Keith, “And you must be Keith! Lance you were right, he does have pretty eyes.”

Lance turned red and hung up the covered outfit on the rack, “OOookay! So you get dressed, Shay will take care of you, and I’ll see you when it starts. Bye bye now!”

He was gone out of the room before Keith could say anything more. Shay cocked her head to the side, “Did I say something wrong?”

“Dunno…”

She clasped a large hand on Keith’s shoulder, “Well, you get dressed. I’ll just be outside the room. Call me when you are done, and please leave the jacket and scarf off for the time being.”

Shay gave a slight bow, which was honestly adorable, before leaving Keith alone. He took a deep breath then rid himself of everything except his boxers. The clothes were perfect, and fit him in ways that still baffled him. He took a good look at himself in the mirror. He didn’t ever think that he was model material, and even now he had no idea how that was gonna change with a little makeup and god knows what to his hair, “Uh, Shay. I’m ready.”

Shay swooped back in and gestured to the chair, “Please sit. This may take some time. I am unsure of what Lance wants exactly. All he said was casual, and not to cut your hair.”

“Yes, please don’t cut my hair.”

“Do you have any other requests?”

“Uh...try not to make me look stupid?”

Shay furrowed her brows and crossed her arms against her chest, “I would never do such a thing! I take my work very seriously.”

Keith shrank under her gaze, “Sorry. I’m sure you’ll make me look amazing.”

She gestured to the chair again, “Now sit”

Keith took a seat and tried not to think about how one of Shay’s large hands could easily crush his skull. Shay moved behind him, humming to herself and looking at him from different angles. Finally, she reached for a comb on the counter and got to work. Any instruction that she gave him, Keith followed without question. It didn’t feel like she did much with his hair, and while he was curious, he tried not to stare at the mirror too much. Trying to look became impossible when Shay moved in front of him, taking all sorts of makeup to his face. He knew there was a lot of makeup out there, but having so much applied in one sitting was just nuts. If this was what it was like to put on makeup every day, then Keith was thankful that wasn’t part of his usual life.

Shay stood back and smiled, “There, all done!”

She stepped away from the mirror and Keith thought he was looking at another person. He knew it was him, but whatever Shay did made his face stand out, nearly glow in a way that looked natural but definitely wasn’t. His eyes popped, making them appear a lot larger and brighter than normal. His hair was done up in a simple ponytail at the base of his neck bangs swept off to the side, but the the tie blended in so well to his hair it was hard to notice, “Wow! You’re amazing, Shay!”

She flushed, “I thank you. You were very easy to work on, as you have a natural beauty in your face.”

“Uh...thanks.”

Shay smiled, and moved to get the jacket and scarf from the hook, as well as a box on the top shelf, “Now just the finishing touches.”

“What’s in the box?”

“Your shoes, silly. Lance said they should fit you.”

Keith opened the box gently and nearly slammed the lid down again. Inside were black ankle boots that looked far too expensive for Keith to even want to walk on. He looked to Shay questioningly, but he only got a soft smile in return. Sighing, he kicked off his shoes and got into the boots provided for him. They fit really well, especially for the fact that Keith never told Lance his shoe size. He’d have to ask about it later, but for now, he was finished getting into his ensemble and waited until Lance came back for him. Shay fussed about after he put on his scarf, making sure his hair was perfect. If you looked at him, it didn’t look like he had long hair at all, ponytail being tucked under the scarf perfectly. 

Shay gave him a robe, and told him to wear it until he was called. There was the number three hundred and seven number pinned on the right side, “That is your entry number. When they call that number, you walk on the catwalk, show off the design, then head back here.”

“Uh, and how do I walk on the catwalk exactly?”

“With confidence!” Lance’s voice drifted in from the other side of the curtain. 

He appeared in a dramatic flair, opening the curtain like a diva ready for the stage. He too was decked out in a robe with their number on it, and looked a lot more done up then he had when he left. Shay sighed, “Lance, I do wish you would have allowed me to do your makeup as well.”

“But I look fabulous!”

“You do, but still. I would enjoy it if you let me one day.”

Lance laughed, “One day! I promise!” he turned to Keith, “Looking good! Shay is a magician isn’t she?”

Keith nodded, trying not to stare too long. Lance was already outrageously pretty on a regular day, and now this was just unfair. Shay and Lance were chatting together, discussing makeup from the sounds of it, but Keith was thankful that it gave him enough time to relax and collect himself before he had to speak again. He was sure if Lance tried to talk to him again so soon, he’d melt into the ground. 

Lance perked up at the sound of the announcer on the PA system. Keith could barely hear anything over the chatter of everyone around them, but Lance seemed to take everything in, “Okay! We have to go, they’re calling the third years now!”

“And we’re seventh in line?”

“Right! So I’ll show you to your line, and just move when you’re told.”

Lance thanked Shay and bid her goodbye, before dragging Keith out again; Keith only barely getting enough time to thank Shay again. Lance led him to the line of students people waiting back stage. He found their place in between the girls numbered six and eight, “Alright! Don’t panic! You got this! See you in a bit!”

And with that he took off again, “H-Hey! Where are you going?!”

The behind him giggled, “Oh relax sweetie. Your boyfriend is just heading over where the other students are.”

“He’s not my boyfriend….”

“Oh really?” She shrugged, “Seemed like it to me.”

He bit back the retort of ‘I wish’, and settled for silence instead. The line moved a lot quicker than he had anticipated, and then before he knew it he was next. The bored looking teacher checked his number then his name just for further reference, “Robe please.”

Keith slipped out of the robe, handing it warily to the teacher. Now that he was out of it, he felt extremely exposed, and he knew that feeling was only going to get worse. The teacher ushered him up the stairs to another teacher, who held up her hand to get him to wait. Keith could see the catwalk from there, as well as the models on it to some degree. He watched them walk, showing off the outfits to the audience. It seemed simple enough, but the idea alone was slightly horrifying. 

The models were coming back, and suddenly Keith was starting to panic a little. What if he made a fool of himself? What if he tripped and tore something? What if he fell off the stage? All the sounds of the cheering crowd felt like a thunderous roar, deafening him. The announcer was starting to call his number, and he was frozen in place. The teacher was waving a hand in front of his face, trying to get his attention. 

“Keith?”

He turned his head and saw Lance standing there in an outfit that was definitely different than before. Camel coloured pants, a blue tank and a blue-grey jacket that near look like a suit jacket. Topped off with a brown woven trilby, Keith was suddenly slammed back to reality, “Keith we need to go.”

Keith nodded slowly and followed Lance’s lead, taking to the stage. If he thought the cheers of the crowd were loud before, it was nothing in comparison to now. Whistles and cheers erupted as soon as they both stepped on stage. Lance turned his head to give a small wink to Keith before continuing on. Keith followed suit as best he could, angling his body so that the crowd could see Lance’s spectacular design. 

Lance was eating up the crowd’s attention, totally in his element whereas Keith was still feeling like a fish out of water. They got to the end of the stage, and Keith did his best to copy was Lance was doing. Turning, smiling, switching places. Lance gave subtle winks and blew kisses out of the crowd, which only resulted in more cheers. Keith wanted to say he was having fun, but until he stepped off the stage, any verdict he could come to was on standby in that moment. 

Just as they were almost done, just when Keith could finally see the end, there was a shout from the back of the room from an unmistakable voice, “Work it, Keith!”

Keith stumbled, barely catching himself. It was Pidge. Of course Pidge was there. She should have been at work today, but of course she managed to get time off just for this . Keith tried his best not to shrink in on himself, nor look back to the noise, just kept walking until they reached the curtain. As soon as they were back, Lance went in his direction behind the the curtain and Keith was directed back to where he started. He was handed his robe back and told to wait with the others.

The models who had already gone up were all huddled in a corner, talking amongst themselves. Keith stood a little ways from the crowd, arms crossed over his chest as he leaned up against the wall, “Nice work out there.”

Keith turned his head to the unfamiliar voice. A lanky blonde man in a loose tank top and almost harem style pants had made his way over. Keith had never seen this guy before, nor did he really know why he decided to come over, but he figured it would be rude to ignore him, “Uh thanks?”

“McClain really outdid himself. He might actually win this year.”

Keith furrowed his brow. He really didn’t like the way this guy was speaking, “Yeah. I think he’s got a damn good shot.”

“As good as anyone else’s, anyway. Well, good luck.”

“Yeah...you too.”

The guy waved and moved away from Keith, striking up a conversation with one of the girls nearby. Keith continued to scowl, hoping that his expression would stop any other strange people from randomly talking to him. He didn’t know what was up with that guy, but something in his gut told him he was being less than sincere. 

Finally, all of the classes had gone, and now it was time to tally up the votes and make the announcement on the winners. In the meantime, everyone was now free to wander around. Eat, drink, touch anything up if they thought it was needed; if they thought they placed. Keith hadn’t even taken one step away from the wall before Lance came racing over to him, “You did so well! You were incredible out there!”

“Even with the stumbling because  _ someone _ didn’t mention Pidge was going to be here?”

Lance laughed, “Sorry man. But you never would have gone out there if I told you everyone was here.”

“ _ Everyone _ !?”

“Well, just Hunk, Shiro, Matt, and Pidge. Unfortunately for obvious reasons Allura and Coran couldn’t come by. Too busy running the cafe, you know?” Lance said, nonchalantly. 

Keith groaned, “Seriously? Shiro and Pidge are never gonna let me live this down. God, he and Pidge probably took pictures!”

“Don't worry, no photography allowed here.” 

“That won't stop Pidge, I promise,” Keith wanted to hide his face in his hands, but was too worried about smudging his makeup.

Lance’s expression dropped, “I'm sorry. Didn't known it would bother you so much.”

Keith’s heart clenched, “N-No it's not that it really bothers me all that much. It was kind of fun too.”

“Really!?” Lance perked right up, bright smile back in his face, “Did you actually think it was fun?”

“Yeah I mean, I wouldn't do it all the time, but it was different, you know?”

“I do! I love being out there myself, so i totally get it. And you rocked it out there! So many people were watching just you! I don't even think they were looking at the clothes.”

Keith flushed some. He really wasn't used to other people looking at him like that. He was used to keeping out of the spotlight as it didn't suit him, especially not in the way it did Lance. If Lance couldn't become a designer right away, he had a real shot at being a model, “So you didn't mention this would be a pairs thing….”

“I didn’t!? I swore I told you!” he looked a little embarrassed, “Sorry man.”

“Don't be. I was happy I wasn't alone out there.”

Lance smiled, and clapped a hand on Keith’s shoulder, “Well I had confidence you would have been able to handle yourself out there.”

Something warm bloomed in Keith’s chest. Lance was something different, and he loved it. He seemed to see things in Keith that no one ever had before, or at least never told him they thought as such. 

Lance perked up at the low sound of the announcer, “Oh! They’re listing the winners! Let's go!”

He grabbed Keith’s hand-a feeling that still made Keith’s heart race-and together they took off closer to the stage. Keith looked at the nervous excitement on Lance’s face. He hoped with everything they had that Lance would win. That his incredible designs would have wowed both the crowd and the judges. Lance was bouncing in place as they waited for placements per year. When it was finally the third years turn, Keith squeezed Lance’s hand and waited for the announcement.

 

* * *

They came in second, but Lance was acting like he just won the Olympics. Nyma had come in third, and according to Lance, that meant so much more than winning first any day. Nyma was only slightly bitter about her loss, but wasn't outwardly rude to either of them. Her boyfriend was standing right behind her the whole time, looking rather relaxed about the entire thing. It was the name boy who had spoken to him before, and really given Nyma and Lance’s rivalry, Keith shouldn't have been surprised that Nyma’s boyfriend sought him out. He still wasn't sure what the reason for that was, but it hardly mattered now.

Lance hadn't stopped beaming. He chatted with everyone who came and congratulated him about getting in second place, even though mostly everyone gravitated towards the winner; an incredibly shy girl who looked baffled that she had even placed at all, let alone won. Lance had gone over and wrapped her in a tight hug and told her that her work has been amazing and she deserved the win. The girl had stammered a thank you, blushing profusely. 

They eventually met up with their friends, who all congratulated Lance for his job well done. Hunk pulled him into a bone crushing hug, near crying about how happy he was for his friend. Pidge and Shiro joined forces to both tease and tell Keith he did a good job. Pidge not so subtly told them both that she had absolutely broken the no photos rule and had something for ‘just in case’.

“We should go out and celebrate!” Matt declared, one arm wrapped around Lance’s shoulder.

“Don’t you two have work tomorrow?” Shiro asked, only slightly hesitantly.

Matt and Lance exchanged glances before shrugging, “Yolo.”

Shiro sighed, but smiled good naturedly, “Where should we go?”

“Honestly? Dinner sounds  _ amazing _ right now, above anything else. I was so nervous that I barely ate breakfast, and I definitely didn’t eat lunch. I’m  _ starving _ ,” Lance whined.

They made arrangements, and Shiro made a quick reservation so as not to be rude, then they were off to a local pub where they could eat, drink, and be merry. Even though Lance had complained about wanting food more than anything, as soon as they were seated the first thing he ordered was a double long island iced tea. Everyone got their own drinks, except for Hunk and Shiro who were driving, before ordering food. There were appies to share, large meals that people kept stealing bites of from each other. More than once Matt and Shiro were caught staring at each other with the most love struck gazes. Pidge made fake gagging noises each time, and Matt swatted at her when she did. 

There were a few more drinks-including two shots each for both Keith and Lance-before they called it a night. Pidge was pleasantly buzzed, but the other three that drank were definitely drunk. Shiro and Hunk were trying to corral them into one of their vehicles so they could take them home. Pidge was leaning against Hunk, “Mind if I catch a ride with you?”

“N-No, I don't mind!”

Matt scowled, “‘m coming tooooooo. Not gonna leave my lil sis alone with you…”

Pidge stuck her tongue out at her brother, “Matt I'll be fine. I'm alone with him at work all the time.”

Hunk just smiled gently, “It's okay. I don't mind.”

Matt smiled triumphantly before turning quickly to give Shiro a peck on the cheek, “I'll see you later babe,” he moved away to throw an arm around Hunk and his sister, “now let's go!”

Hunk gave a slight wave before guiding the inebriated siblings to where his car was parked down the road. Shiro was beet red from the pet name, and Keith and Lance were doing there best not to laugh-and failing miserably. They were leaning against each other for support, cackling about how flustered Shiro was. The older man cleared his throat, “Okay, let's get you two home.”

They were a still snickering at they made it to Shiro’s car, and all the way to Keith and Shiro’s place; although it wasn't all about Shiro and Matt. Everything and anything seemed funny to them in their current state, and boy did it feel good to just laugh with someone without it feeling forced.

Shiro stopped at his and Keith’s apartment first, much to Keith’s vocal displeasure, “I’m just going to be driving back with you anyway!”

“True as that may be, it was still on the way, and you look like you’re ready to pass out at any minute.”

Keith was tired, so Shiro wasn’t wrong about that in the slightest, but that still didn’t stop him from grumbling loudly about how unfair Shiro was being. Lance was pouting in the back, but at otherwise stayed silent as Shiro pulled up in front of the building. 

There was a sharp piercing ring from Shiro’s phone, causing him to frantically scramble to answer it, “Hello? Matt?”

Shiro listened intently, his expression dropping slightly to a grimace, “Okay, I’ll be there soon. Just hang tight,” he hung up with a sigh before looking at the other two and running a hand through his small white tuft of hair, “That was Hunk. Matt got violently ill, and asked Hunk to call me. I’m going to go get him, but I don’t know how long that can take. Lance I can leave you with Hunk if you want?”

Lance seemed to think about it, but shook his head, “Honestly, ‘m ready to pass out. Can I crash here?”

Keith looked to Shiro, because the rule was they both had to agree if someone were to crash on their couch. Shiro nodded, “Yeah that’s cool with me. You can even take my bed, since I doubt I’ll be coming back until the morning.”

Lance and Keith both echoed each other, teasingly wolf whistling at Shiro as Lance slipped out of the car. Shiro just rolled his eyes, “I’ll be back early tomorrow. Try not to throw up anywhere but that bathroom please. Looking at you, Keith.”

“Oh my god, that was one time. And I was sixteen.”

“And I will never let you forget it,” Shiro glanced at the time on his phone, “Okay, I’m leaving now. Got your keys?”

“Yes dad. Now go get some!”

Shiro flipped him off then drove off to where Hunk was parked. Keith and Lance exchanged glances, snickering as they made their way up the stairs and to the apartment door. Keith kicked off his shoes into the corner as soon as he was through the door, but Lance took his time. He was struggling untying his sneakers, and eventually just slipped them off. Lance stumbled into the living room, following Keith and flopping on the couch with him, “I don’t think ‘ve thanked you enough, man. Just...wow~We came in second! Over my arch nemis...ass?”

Keith snorted, adjusting his position to look at Lance’s alcohol flushed face, “Any time. Was kinda fun.”

Lance scooched a little closer, face now incredibly close, “You looked  _ so _ good out there too. I mean, you always look good, but like...wow.”

“Yeah?” Keith dared to move a little closer, “You looked really good out there too. Pretty.”

Lance smiled, “You think I’m pretty?”

Keith could feel Lance’s breathe against his lips, “Mhm.”

One of them moved forward first, or maybe both of them did, but suddenly they were kissing, and neither of them made any move to pull away. Keith pulled Lance closer, until Lance was in his lap. His arms were around the wiry boy’s waist while Lance’s fingers tangled in Keith’s hair.

They kissed sloppily, hungrily, breaking off into fits of giggles every so often before finding each other again. Keith was shifted so he was laying on his back, with Lance on top of him still leaving searing kisses. In the back of Keith’s hazy mind, he knew that they should probably stop. Probably talk about this before carrying on. But the part of his brain that wanted Lance, wanted what they were doing to never end, was so much louder than his rational mind.

Steamy kisses trailed off into soft lazy pecks as the exhaustion took over. The last thing Keith remembered before nodding off was Lance’s blue eyes, gazing softly at him as he shifted to lay half on him before falling asleep himself. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah Klance chapter! I wonder what will happen in the morning....hmm
> 
> This story is almost over soon....and unfortunately I've realized that Allura and Coran are basically non-existent in this fic...and that's not really gonna change. I'll do what I can to kind o add them in...because I feel bad! No Galra though, because this is a happy story! 
> 
> If I'm ever taking too long, or if you wanna chat, come yell at me on tumblr @raequaza 
> 
> Until next time!


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back at er with another chapter! This one might be second to last? Third to last? Dunno. Fic is ending soon is my point, which is both sad and relieving for me. 
> 
> So hopefully you enjoy this chapter, and as always huge thanks to my beta, callmesinpai, for editing. And thanks to all those who still leave comments and kudos. You fuel me~
> 
> Enjoy!

When Keith woke the next morning, he immediately felt the stiffness from laying on the couch all night. He slowly sat up and tried to stretch out his tensed shoulder muscles, ignoring the throbbing in his head. He groaned and got up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. Shuffling to the kitchen, he downed a cold glass of water to hopefully ease his aching head.

 “Morning, sleeping beauty.”

 Keith flipped off Shiro as he entered the kitchen, downing another glass of water, “Please tell me there’s coffee…”

“Making it now. Lance downed the other pot I made before he went to work,” Keith blinked, racking his mind to understand what Shiro was talking about, and then it hit him. He could feel the blood rush to his face as he remembered the events that transpired between them before they passed out. He could hear Shiro chucking as Keith stood rigid, face bright red, “Did you two have a good time?”

 Keith tried to tell Shiro to fuck off, he did, but what came out of his mouth was more like a low whine mix with a groan instead. Shiro just laughed and carried on making coffee, “Well I’m glad. You two have been dancing around each other for a while.”

 Keith moved to sit on the stool against the island, “Oh my god...we kissed.”

“Good for you, buddy.”

 Keith slammed his head down on the table and groaned, “We kissed and we didn’t even talk about anything. Like what if he’s just a flirty drunk and I was convenient? I mean, if it meant something he probably would have said something?”

 Shiro sighed, “Keith, I think you’re seriously over thinking things. Lance seemed pretty pleased when he left this morning, and told me to tell you he had a great time.”

 “But that could have been about the fashion show and dinner! Doesn’t mean it had anything to do with making out on our couch!”

 Shiro rolled his eyes and slid Keith a mug of coffee, “Look, I think that you’re being too hard on yourself. Lance is definitely into you, Keith. So you should just accept it, okay? If you’re really worried about it, talk to Lance about it. You’ve got like...an hour before he’s off shift. So you can always meet him there or afterwards and talk.”

 Keith shook his head, “I can’t…. I have finals on Monday. I have to study.”

 “Keith...if you leave this for too long, Lance might get hurt.”

“He knows I have exams, so does he. I’m sure he’ll understand.”

“Just...send him a text or something, okay? I’d hate for this to backfire on you.”

Keith just nodded and downed the rest of his coffee before slinking off into his room. He vaguely heard Shiro calling about eating something, but he ignored it. For now, he needed to lay down until his head stopped pounding and then he’d study.

As he lay down on his mattress, he pulled his phone from his jacket pocket. The brightness from the screen, even turned down, felt like it was too bright. Lance was the last person he messaged, and all he had to do was tap his name and tell him he would be studying for now, but they should talk later. It seemed so easy, yet Keith just couldn’t bring himself to do it. He tossed his phone on the bed with a sigh. He’d nap first, then message Lance. 

* * *

Keith did not in fact message Lance at all after he woke up. He rolled right out of bed after a dream about failing all his classes. In the dream he was kicked out of school, then Shiro kicked him out of the house, and he was forced to live in some desert shack in the middle of nowhere all alone. He needed to get his ass in gear. His first exam was on Monday and that was all he was focused on.

 Shiro tried to talk to him, but he knew that once Keith was in study mode, that he needed to concentrate on just making sure Keith ate something from time to time rather than fussing about his love life. Keith’s phone had lit up a few times, but he didn’t bother checking it.

 He didn’t even check his phone until after his exams were done at the end of the week. His one on Monday went off without a hitch, as did the others that followed. Saturday rolled around, and he felt like he could breathe again.

 When he finally looked at his phone, there was a barrage of messages from Pidge. They started with asking if he was okay, turning into calling him a pussy, leading back to asking if he was okay, then telling him that he fucked up and needed to fix things if he ever wanted a chance for happiness. Matt also had messaged him, but it was only a frowny face and nothing more.

 Keith swore and hit Pidge's contact number. Since it was after work hours for Pidge, he decided to call her rather than text. She picked up on the second ring, “You’re so dumb.”

 “Why? Because I had exams I had to study for and ignored my phone?”

 “Isn’t there a certain someone you should have maybe talked to?”

 “Look I’m sorry I didn’t answer your texts, but this was important.”

 She sighed, “I don’t care you didn’t respond to me, Keith. But there is someone who is apparently rather upset you didn’t contact him at all….”

 Keith froze. He hadn’t contacted Lance. He knew he needed to contact Lance, and he didn’t do it, “Fuuuuuuuuuuuck.”

 “Yeah I think that sums it up. You done fucked up, son.”

 “Shit Pidge, what do I do!?”

 “I don’t know. Apologize?”

 Keith groaned, “How do I do that?! Will he even accept it if I do?!””

 “Dunno, but you best try something soon. Hunk said he’s been moping around the apartment all week.”

 “Shit, okay. I will go into the cafe right now...wait no. He’s not working. Um, tomorrow morning. Regular time. I’ll go in and see him. Should I bring like...flowers or something?”

 Pidge snorted, “Up to you I guess. Lance does seem like the type who’d appreciate flowers from a lover.”  
  
“W-We’re not dating…”

 “Well certainly not with that attitude, and definitely not since you haven’t contacted him for a week. I’d get to it, my dude. Before someone else swoops in and steals him.”

 “Thanks Pidge…” Keith sighed and hung up. 

He was tempted to go get flowers now, and rush over to Lance’s apartment, but it was late, all the shops were closed, and he’d have a better chance at actually catching Lance when he was at work. With that in mind, he started to make his way home. He had a lot of planning to do if he wanted to save their friendship...and any potential of being with Lance in the future. 

* * *

Keith stood anxiously outside The Five Lions, staring at the large doors. He had forgone flowers, simply on account that not one flower shop was open, and he had a fear that knowing his luck Lance would be allergic to flowers or something. Shiro had offered to go with him as support, but Keith decided that he needed to go alone; it would probably be more meaningful that way.

 So now here he stood, rocking back and forth on his heels, psyching himself up to walk in an apologize for being a giant bag of dicks. Yet he couldn’t bring himself to take those few steps forward to enter the cafe. His fears of Lance’s rejection weighing heavily on his mind.

 Before he could decide if he was going in or chickening out, the door opened. Coran poked his head out, smiling good naturedly as he always did, “Are you coming in?”

 Keith didn't trust his own voice, just nodded and followed Coran inside. The other man had barely gotten back behind the desk before Keith was shoving enough money for two hours at him. He was given a knowing smile and handed Keith his slip, “Have a lovely visit!”

 He opened the doors and made a b-line for the counter. Behind it was Lance, and another employee that Keith had seen a few times before but could never remember the name of. Lance caught his eye as he approached the counter, and very abruptly claimed to his co-worker that he needed to check something in the back. Keith wanted to call out, but Lance was gone before he could even open his mouth.

 Defeated, Keith slumped the rest of his way to the counter and mumbled his order. The already grumpy looking barista seemed to be in even more of a bad mood, being short and curt with all responses be gave back at Keith. He didn't take any offense to it, it didn't surprise him that people here might be upset with him for hurting Lance; as unintentional as it was. Keith waited at the side of the counter for his coffee, hoping that Lance would come back soon. However, when the kitchen doors opened, Allura was the one who came out. She only shot him a passing glance before turning her cheery demeanor to the customer at the counter.

 When Keith’s mug was plunked unceremoniously on the counter, he thanked the barista and shuffled away to his normal spot on the couches. He sighed heavily and sipped his coffee slowly. So Lance was definitely mad at him. The worst part was, if he couldn't talk to him, then Keith didn't know how he was going to be able to apologise.

 Red was with him within moments of him sitting down and all but in his lap this time. She was purring loudly, which helped easy Keith’s tension some. He gently stroked her head, “What am I gonna do now?”

 Red blinked her golden eyes at him, but offered nothing more, not even a meow. There was a small mewl on the other side of him, and turning, he saw Blue jumping up onto the couch as well, curling up on one of his legs. The soft purr was different from Red’s, but no less soothing. He set his coffee on the table and stroked the incredibly soft cat on the other side, “Well Blue, do you know what I should do?”

 Blue mewed at him, but it wasn’t very helpful. He chanced a glance at the counter, but there was no Lance in sight. He sighed yet again; this was not going the way he hoped. He really didn’t have a plan as to what to say either than he was sorry, but he knew there was no chance of that if Lance wouldn’t even look at him.

 “That’s not fair!” Lance’s voice snapped his focus away from the counter. Lance looked upset, but it was cross with something Keith couldn’t quite place, “How am I supposed to be mad at you if my baby Blue likes you?”

 Blue mewled at Lance, snuggling up closer to Keith. Red gave Lance a skeptical eye, but didn’t hiss at him, which was something new to both of them. Keith looked at Lance in the eye, “Try not to be? Look Lance...I’m really sorry. I should have told you that I was studying for exams, and what I’m like when I study. I cut everyone off, and I’m sorry. I am so so _so_ sorry.”

 Lance frowned, but sat down across from Keith anyway, “A simple text would have been nice. Or even telling Shiro since he was here visiting Matt all the time. He mentioned that you were studying himself, but dammit I would have liked to have heard it from you! Especially after….”

 “I know, I know. And I feel like such an idiot. We had such a good time, and I just...fucked it up right after.”

 “Yeah, you kind of did.”

Keith’s shoulders dropped. He had already apologised, several times, and now was stuck about where to go from there. Lance didn’t seem to want to accept his apology, “So...I guess you probably don’t want me coming around any more then.”

 “I mean...it’s not like you like cats anyway right?”

 There were tears threatening to spill from Keith. This was it. Lance hated him and he wouldn’t be able to come back to the cafe any more. He wouldn’t make any more progress with Red...and he was really starting to adore her, “I’ll just...go then.”

 He made to get up and leave, but both Red and Blue dug their claws into Keith as he made an attempt to go. He grimaced and tried to manually remove their claws from himself, but they were both stubborn, almost as stubborn as he was. Lance sighed, “You don’t have to go. Allura would probably kill me for chasing off one of her best customers.”

 Keith perked up, “So...I can keep coming back to see you...and the cats?”

 “Yeah...I mean I’m not gonna stop you. Still kind of mad though, dude. Like you hurt me, bad. I’m not quite ready to forgive you yet.”

 Keith nodded, “That’s totally fair, and completely understandable. I will apologize as many times as I can. I feel really stupid about the whole thing.”

 “Wanna know how you can make it up to me?”

 “Yes!” Any possible chance to make amends. Even if nothing went any further than friendship, that was okay for Keith. It would be enough, “What can I do?”

 “Help me hook Hunk and Pidge up.”

 “Wasn’t I doing that before?”

 Lance hummed, “But we really haven’t gotten very far with that.”

 “True...got any plans up your sleeve?”

 Lance smiled for the first time since Keith got there, and Keith melted, “Well I may have one…Hunk has been talking about going to the amusement park soon. I think he mentioned it originally because he wanted to cheer me up, but I know for a fact that amusement parks are like Hunk’s numero uno date spots. Please tell me that Pidge likes amusement rides. But like nothing extreme, Hunk gets some bad motion sickness.”

 “Uh....pretty sure she likes extreme rides….”

 “But she does like amusement parks?”

 “I think so? She generally doesn’t like large crowds but...it might work?”

 Lance nodded, “I can work with that. So, next Sunday?”

 “For…?”

 “Um were you not paying attention? For the amusement park!”

 “Aren’t we just setting them up on a date?”

 “Yes, but they won’t go for it if we call it a date. So we gotta go as a friend group and then ditch.”

 Keith tried not to get too hopeful, “So you wouldn’t mind spending time with me…?I know we’re kind of...in a rough patch.” 

Lance snorted, “Well, I mean we could go our separate ways…,” Keith’s mood dropped, “But then again, maybe some greasy fair food and some adorable stuffed animals might smooth things over a little.”

Keith lit up, “That I can do!”

“Good. I will text you...unless you decided not to look at your phone again.”

“No! No I will definitely be awaiting your text, and again, I am really sorry about not texting you last wek.”

“Apology accepted….for now,” Lance gave him a sort of hopeful smile, “So talk to you later?”

Keith nodded frantically, “Yep! Definitely!”

Lance gave a small wave as he walked off, and Keith breathed a sigh of relief. He looked down at Red and Blue, both still curled against him, “Well girls, I may still have a chance yet.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Keith studying mode is based off my own if I'm in a panic. I just shut everything out. I figured Keith would probably do the same. 
> 
> Sorry if the chapter felt a little rushed, and that it's short. Hopefully it's still fun for people though! 
> 
> Until next time!


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long! Life is hectic
> 
> This is technically the last chapter, but there will be an epilogue!
> 
> As always thanks to my beta, callmesinpai!

Lance had no problems getting Hunk to go to the amusement park. All he had to do was mention he needed something to take his mind off Keith, and an amusement park was probably a great idea. Lots of fun rides, good food, and cute people to flirt with. Hunk bought it hook line and sinker; mostly because Lance wasn't lying, he was just omitting the parts that involved Pidge and Keith.

Keith wasn't having as much luck on his end with Pidge, “But I thought you liked roller coasters!”

“I do. You however, do not. Nor do you like amusement parks in general. So I don't believe you when you tell me you want to go there as a distraction. Try again.”

Keith sighed, Pidge was much too clever for her own good, and never took his word at face value. There was always something else, and she always found it out. ‘Time for plan B then’, he thought, “Okay...truth is...I know that Lance is going to be there...and I just...kinda wanna make things right.”

“Allura told Matt you guys already talked and it was super gay.”

“We did, but it's not really fixed. And you’re good at fixing things sooooo….”

“So you need my help to snag the cute boy you’re pining over,” Pidge stated with a smirk, “Well, if there's a funnel cake in it for me, I can probably help you out. But just this once. You screw this up again, and you’re on your own.”

“Thank you, Pidge. I don't know what I would do without you.”

“Die grumpy and alone probably.”

Keith flicked a piece of muffin at her, but he knew she wasn't wrong. Pidge stuck out her tongue and downed the rest of her coffee. “So this Sunday?”

“Yeah. I'll meet you at the front gates.”

“Alright, and how do you expect to find your lover boy? It's a huge crowd on the weekends.”

Keith smiled, “Don't worry, I'm pretty sure I know where he’ll be.”

* * *

Sunday rolled around, and Keith was a beyond nervous. Not just because he wasn't sure how Pidge will react when she learns that Hunk is there too, but also because this was his chance to rekindle what he and Lance had, and he  _ really _ didn't want to fuck it up.

Pidge announced her arrival but gently kicking him in the leg. She was wearing her overly large hoodie and comfy sweats. Keith prayed she wouldn't freak out about Hunk seeing her like she just rolled out of bed. Normally he knew  she never cared about what other people thought about her appearance, but recently it seemed like she put a little extra effort into her appearance around Hunk, “Ready to do some woo-ing?”

Keith feigned a sigh, “As ready as I'll ever be.”

“Then let's go! Funnel cake first though, because I definitely require payment first.”

Keith nodded and followed Pidge to the ticket booth so they could enter the park. The plan was for Lance and Hunk to meet them by the funnel cake stand. Keith would text Lance once they were inside the park, letting him know to meet them there. It was perfect that Pidge had requested funnel cake as her payment, as that was Hunk’s all time favorite park food too; meaning it would be that much easier to get him to agree to go over there with Lance without it seeming overly suspicious.

Pidge was all but dragging Keith by the sleeve of his jacket, expertly weaving her way to be tho her destination. Keith learned that there was nothing that could stop Pidge from getting her funnel cake. Nothing. Keith always had a rough time keeping up with her, even though his legs were much longer and he was in way better shape then she was physically. He personally never saw the draw to funnel cakes, too dry and too sweet for his own taste.

Pidge came to an abrupt halt just before they reached the majority of the food stands. She turned and glared at Keith, “I hate you.”

Keith could see Lance and Hunk waiting over by the funnel cake stand, Lance bouncing on his toes, scanning the crowd. Keith faked his surprise, “Oh wow, didn't know Hunk would be here too.”

Pidge wasn't buying it, and turned around to leave, but stopped suddenly. Keith followed her gaze to a group of boys that were in line for a thrill ride. Pidge turned back around and started walking towards Hunk and Lance. Keith had to jog to catch up, “Hey, what was that about?”

“One of the guys over there had been bugging me. Trying to get me to date him. I'd rather avoid him if I can,” She muttered, “besides, I shouldn't leave without my cake. And some sweet tea, because you now owe me double.”

Keith sighed, he was caught and he knew it, “Fine, you win.”

She elbowed him in the ribs just for good measure before finally making it over to the other two, “Hey, fancy seeing you two here,” she said with only the slightest hint of sarcasm.

Hunk’s face hinted pink and he stammered out some reply that Keith didn't really catch. He hated to admit it but he was definitely too distracted by Lance. He knew that Lance was a fashion major, And he knew he always dressed to impress, but there was something enough the light shade of blue of his shirt that Keith found brought out Lance’s...everything.

Lance gave him a light wave of acknowledgement, which Keith shyly returned. Pidge rolled her eyes at the exchange and elbowed Keith in the side once more, pointing at the funnel cake stand with a pointed look. Keith sighed and stood in line behind Hunk and Lance, rather than awkwardly off to the side. Pidge and Hunk got into an excitable conversation about the deliciousness that was funnel cakes, while Lance slid a little closer to Keith so they could have their own whispered conversation, “I think Pidge is onto us…”

“She is,” Keith muttered, “but she hasn't run away, so I'll take that as a good sign.”

“What tipped her off?”

“Had to tell her I knew you were going to be here…She was here to...um...nevermind. Not important.”

“What? No I want to know what you were going to say.”

“Me too,” Pidge whispered.

Both boys jolted slightly away from each other, staring at their friends. Hunk looked rather confused and a little suspicious, but Pidge had a look on her face that told them she knew exactly what was going on. And knowing her, Keith was positive she had everything figured out, which could either be a blessing or a curse.

After they got their funnel cakes, and sweet tea, Pidge declared it was time to find the smallest roller coaster. She liked to work her way from smallest to tallest, found it more thrilling that way. Hunk looked a little queasy at the notion, but agreed none the less, “You, um, don't have to go on any roller coasters with me if that's not your thing, Hunk.”

“No no, I'm sure one or two of the smaller ones would be fine,” Hunk said unconvincingly.

“Well um, how about we alternate? Like we do a roller coaster, then do a ride of your choosing,” she gave a knowing look to Lance and Keith, “ then those two I guess.”

“Hm I don't know if you’ll meet the height requirement on some of my favorite rides,” Lance teased, expertly dodging a kick to the shin.

Pidge flipped him off and headed over to the smallest roller coaster for adults, letting the boys trail after her. Hunk was clearly trying to put on a brave face, but as they neared he seemed to grow slightly pale. Lance patted him on the back reassuringly as they all stood in line. Pidge almost seemed like a different person, sneaking looks at Hunk, constantly making sure he was positive he wanted to go on the ride with them. Hunk was adamant about it, but was shaking ever so slightly as he got into the cart with Pidge. Keith giddily slid into the cart beside Lance. He might not be super into roller coasters, but it allowed him to be close to Lance once more; if even for a short period of time. Lance was near bouncing in the seat beside him, excitement clear on his face; Keith should have figured he was a thrill seeker.

The ride in itself wasn’t overly intense, but Keith wasn’t really paying attention. He was absolutely slyly looking at Lance. He was basically glowing, smile bright on face as the ride progressed. Keith faintly heard a light groan from in front of him, courtesy of Hunk, As soon as the ride was over, Hunk was out of the cart, hand clamped over his mouth, racing to the nearest trash can. Pidge scrambled after him, worry clear on her face. Lance winked at Keith, “I think now is a good time to make a quick escape.”

“What now?!”

“No time like the present! Now let’s go, Mullet!” Lance grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him alongside the crowd. Keith could faintly hear retching off to the other side of the throngs of people exiting the ride, but didn’t stop to check if it was Hunk or not. Lance was tugging him along at an incredibly fast pace, and it was all Keith could do to not trip over his own to feet.

Once they were half way across from the park, Lance stopped and pulled Keith off to the side, away from the bustling crowd, “Don’t you think we should at least tell them we ditched? Otherwise Pidge is bound to come hunting us down. And believe me, she is damn good at finding people if she wants to.”

“Already on it!” Lance hand his phone in his hand, nimble fingers typing away, “I’m only messaging Hunk though. It’s up to you to take care of Pidge.”

Keith sighed, but pulled his phone out regardless. He just hoped that Pidge would realize he was just trying to help her out, rather than get mad at him for meddling. He knew the later was more likely, but there was a small sliver of hope that one one on one time with Hunk would at least quell her murderous rage for a short amount of time.

* * *

>> All u buddy! Dont mess this up!!!!!  
>> If u 2 arent a couple by the nd of tday, imma b so mad!

Hunk had been sitting on a bench beside the ride they had just been on, actively not watching it in case he vomited again. Pidge was sitting beside him, unusually quiet. He was about to text Lance back, curious as to what exactly he meant, but Pidge finally spoke up, “Those mother fuckers!”

He wasn’t completely used to hearing Pidge swear, or really most people for that matter, so it certainly startled him, “Um?”

“Fucking Keith and Lance. They ditched us!”

Suddenly Lance’s text made so much more sense. He felt another wave of minor nausea, but he knew this time it wasn’t due to any rides, it was due to nerves. He had a chance to finally spend some time with Pidge outside of work, in a setting that could almost be considered a date, yet here he was already probably messing it up just because he got motion sickness early and he had now thrown up in front of the girl he liked and of course there was no way she could even begin to like him back now! She probably thought he was weak and pathetic for letting such a small ride affect him so much. Who was Lance trying to kid, Hunk already knew he had messed this up big time!

A soft hand touched his shoulder, “Hey, are you okay?”

“Uh, yeah, yeah I’m okay? W-Why do you ask?”

“Because you were looking like my brother used to before a panic attack,” her hand hadn’t left his shoulder, “Are you sure you’re doing okay? You can talk to me you know.”

He could see the concern behind her honey brown eyes, and somehow it was enough to make him spill everything he was bottling up inside, “Lance texting me just now that he and Keith basically ditched because they are trying to hook us up because I really really like you. But now I’ve totally messed this up because of my weak stomach so there’s no way someone as incredible, fearless, and gorgeous as you could even consider me an option and oh my god I’ve said way too much. I am so sorry, I am just going to go now…”

He stood to leave, planning for a very quick exit from the premises, but a soft hand gripped onto his. Hunk swallowed heavily before turning to see a very flushed Pidge holding onto him, “Don’t go. Please?”

“But I-”

She squeezed his hand, “Keith texted me something similar,” She cleared her throat, daring to look him in the eye, “Because I really like you too.”

Hunk was both frozen and melting at the same time. “You, um, what? I uh...huh!?”

“I like you too. You’re smart, you’re funny. You are the most amazing cook I’ve ever met in my life, and the kindest person on top of that. What’s not to like?”

Hunk felt like he was at a loss, or that he was dreaming. At this point he was pretty sure it was the latter, “But I’m just...me? Just boring, plain...big...Hunk.”

She snickered at that, “Well, you definitely are a big hunk,” her face turned a bright shade of red, “A-Actually forget I said that! That was super embarrassing, oh my god.”

Hunk couldn’t help but laugh, tension easing away. Pidge joined him, and soon they were both holding hands and laughing hysterically. Once their laughter died down, they were still left with hands intertwined. Hunk cleared his throat, blush dusting his cheeks, “So I was wondering, if you wouldn’t mind, would you like to go on a date with me. Right here, right now.”

“Well I think I’d like our first date to involve something a little more than an amusement park bench,” She teased, bumping into him playfully, “But I’d love to.”

Hunk smiled, happiness radiating off of him like the sun, “Let’s absolutely not tell Lance and Keith their little plan worked. At least not for now.”

“Took the words right outta my mouth!” Pidge laughed, “Now let’s go find some water for you, and then maybe something a little less twisting for you. Maybe some games? I’m pretty good at the ring toss.”

“That sounds amazing, honestly!”

She jumped off the bench, pulling Hunk along, “Then let’s go!”

* * *

Lance tucked his phone back into his pocket, “Alright, now that that’s been taken care of, how about I cash in on those delicious treats I mentioned you could get me.”

“Anything you want, just name it,” Keith was determined not to let another chance slip by him.

“Hmm I’m thinking maybe a corndog...ooo no, maybe mini doughnuts. Oh but then there’s cheese fries...hm I didn’t think this decision through.”

Keith should be annoyed by Lance’s indecision, and normally would with anyone else, but here he found it endearing, “Tell you what, I’ll buy you one corn dog, some small cheese fries, and a jumbo tub of mini doughnuts that you have to share with me.  Deal?”

“Ah you know the way to a man’s heart! Lead the way!”

Keith only had a vague idea of where most of the food was located, but he wasn’t about to tell Lance he didn’t totally know where he was going. And if Lance knew he clearly didn’t know where he was going exactly, he didn’t say anything. He just strode alongside Keith, nearly brushing hands. It took them probably twice as long to reach their destination, but Keith could care less. For once the crowds weren’t annoying him, and the lines didn’t make him wish for a swift death. Being able to spend time with Lance did that, and it was an experience to say the least. He didn’t hate it, but it was so different from his usual self that it hit him like a freight train at times.

Cheese fries were what they found first, and thankfully the stand also sold corndogs. Keith purchased two colas and some plain fries for himself as well, because god knows he needed something to drink, and he was definitely getting hungry. They miraculously managed to secure a table, downing their food like they were starving. Lace teased Keith about his plain fries, and cringed that Keith wouldn’t eat them with ketchup, only either plain or dipped in malt vinegar; which he verbally let Keith know he found particularly gross.

The mini doughnut line was one of the longest that Keith could see from any of the other vendors, but he knew it was worth it. These were honestly some of the best he’d ever had, and they were more than worth the wait. Lance was pondering out loud about how Pidge and Hunk were fairing. Neither of them had texted back, so they both assumed it wasn’t going horribly; and Pidge hadn’t tracked them down to murder them both yet so that was also a good sign.

“Hey, I’m gonna snag a seat, if you don’t mind.”

“Sure, I’ll find you.” It was nearly their turn anyway, so Keith didn’t mind if Lance ducked out to go sit. They had been standing for nearly twenty minutes after all, and it was rather warm outside.

The back of Lance’s hand brushed Keith’s, and it was like a jolt of electricity coursed through him from that simple, probably accidental gesture. When had he gotten so bad? He never used to be like this, but now...it was insanity.

Keith was trying not to be impatient as he continued to wait, but he wanted to get back to Lance as soon as possible. Once they were sitting down, they could talk and maybe work something out. Keith wasn’t desperate per se, but he wanted to make this right. Even if Lance rejected him as a potential boyfriend, there was still hope for friendship. If that was all Keith could have, that would be fine by him...in time.

With the jumbo tub of doughnuts in hand, he weaved through the throngs of people surrounding the area to try and find Lance. He didn’t really see where Lance had managed to find a table, and had sadly not received a text from Lance to direct him. There were a bunch of tables with umbrellas nearby though, so he prayed that Lance had managed to scoop one of those.

“Keeeeiiith!!”

Keith’s eyes snapped to the boy wildly waving at him. Lance was smiling widely at him, or rather probably at the doughnuts, but he was going to pretend it was just because he had spotted Keith, “Hey sorry it took so long, they had to make a fresh batch.”

Lance made grabby-hands at the tub, “No apologies needed for a fresh bucket of heaven.”

Keith handed over the tub with a slight eye-roll, and Lance dug in as soon as the bucket was in his reach; grabbing four doughnuts at once. Keith sat down across from him, taking one of the still hot doughnuts out of the tub. The sounds Lance made while eating the doughnuts should be considered illegal, or at least come with some sort of warning label. Keith had listened to porn that didn’t deliver in sounds of pure ecstacy. He laughed it off to try and calm himself, “Good right?”

Lance moaned, “I honestly don’t think I’ve had better. And I’ve been here lots. These guys new?”

“Uh no, not as far as I know,” Keith snagged another doughnut, “Have you never had them from here before?”

“No! I think I would have remembered if I had something this delectable in my mouth before. I usually just go to the stall with the shortest line. I’m not patient enough to wait that long every time for doughnuts.”

“Not even if they’re this good?”

Lance sighed, “I may have to rethink that.”

Keith laughed around the mouthful of doughnut he had. Lance snickered and shoved another one in his mouth. Keith kept waiting for Lance to say something else, anything else, but Lance seemed more than content to eat the doughnuts and watch the people around them. Keith tried to think of what he could possibly say to get the conversation going to where he wanted it to go. He just didn’t know how to start, or even bring up that he had a massive crush on Lance to his face.

Turns out, he didn’t have to think of anything at all. Two girls who he supposed were pretty came up to them, each holding what looked like peach soft serve ice cream, “Um, there’s really nowhere else to sit, so do you mind if we join you two?”

Keith could see off to the side that there was actually two other tables unoccupied, but Lance spoke first before he could point them out, “Not at all ladies!”

They smiled brightly at Lance and sat down. Keith moved over as far as he could to let the redhead that sat beside him have some space. The blond sat beside Lance, batting her long lashes at him as she spoke; which Keith honestly thought looked ridiculous. Who even did that?! “The name is Lana, and this is my friend Tiffany.”

“I’m Lance, and the brooding one over there is Keith.”

“Pleasure to meet you both,” Keith did not like the way she said that, not one little bit. It was far too...flirty for his liking. He didn’t bother to give them a response, hoping maybe if he didn’t show any interest they might go away.

It was wishful thinking though, as Lance was a social butterfly and easily slipped into conversation with the two women. He didn’t try and get Keith to join the conversation, but that kind of angered him more. It was like Lance was ignoring him completely, and would rather have the company of the two girls rather than him. He felt crushed by this revelation, and abruptly stood from the table, stalking off.

“Keith? Where are you going?” Lance didn’t even sound that concerned.

“Napkins,” Keith lied, and slipped away.

If Lance would rather sit and talk with those girls, then fine. He made his point clear. Keith was under the impression that they were going to talk about what had happened to them at his apartment, about maybe how they both felt about it, or at least that was what he had gathered from his conversation with Lance back at the cafe the prior weekend.

Keith was pretty sure he passed Hunk and Pidge walking hand in hand, which he would consider a victory later, but for now he could give less of a shit about if his friends finally got together in this moment. He was heartbroken and kind of humiliated about being used if he was being honest with himself. Lane hadn’t wanted to work things out. He just wanted some food, and to set their friends up. As soon as he found two girls he found attractive, Keith didn’t exist anymore.

He left the park as fast as he could and made it back to his apartment in record time. He had told Shiro he probably wouldn’t need to be picked up-and hopefully he wouldn’t even be home until late-but he was regretting that now. Still, the walk helped him put things into perspective and let him realize what a big idiot he had been for ever believing he had another chance. He ruined the first one he got, so why the hell would he be lucky enough for another one.

Keith tried not to slam the door shut when he returned home...tried being the keyword. He kicked off his shoes and trekked into the living room where he was greeted with a very disheveled shirtless Matt, and an equally shirtless Shiro. Keith didn’t even have it in him to feel amused at how embarrassed they were. He just turned and headed to his room, mumbling about Shiro having his own room if he wanted to have sex with Matt.

He didn’t know how long he laid on his bed, face smushed in his pillow, before there was a knock on his door, “Keith? Can I come in?”

Keith made some sort of noise that even he wasn’t sure was confirmation or denial, but Shiro came in anyway. He sat himself on Keith’s chair at his desk, “So I’m taking it things didn’t go well?”

Keith groaned into his pillow before turning to face Shiro, “No it went  _ perfectly _ . That’s why I’m here right now alone and not with him.”

“Sarcasm duly noted, and rightfully ignored. Did you want to talk about it?”

“Nothing to really talk about. We were at the amusement park to hook up Hunk and Pidge. Pretty sure we succeeded there, but I had  _ thought _ Lance wanted to work things out between us too. He didn’t,” Keith could feel the burn in his eyes, but refused to cry over this, “The second two girls came over to us, I basically didn’t exist anymore. It was pretty clear I’ve got no chance. So I left while he was flirting.”

Shiro sighed, “Keith just because he was being friendly doesn’t mean he didn’t want to talk with you or work things out.”

“You weren’t there Shiro. You didn’t see him with them,” Keith knew he was being stubborn, but right now he needed to work on getting over Lance, rather than letting other people give him false hope, “Can you go now? I just want to be alone right now.”

Keith smushed his face in his pillow again, not bothering to wait for a response. He could hear Shiro sigh yet again, but he left Keith’s room without any fuss. Keith was grateful for that, as it allowed him to wallow in his self-pity. He knew that it probably wasn’t the best thing to do right now, but if he let it out now, he could work on getting over Lance sooner. And after all, that’s clearly what he needed to do now.

* * *

At some point he must of dozed off, because when he moved his face away from his pillow, it was dark in his room. He blinked the sleep out of his eyes and looked at his alarm clock; nine in the evening. Great, now he was going to be up all night and exhausted the next day for work. Just what he needed.

He rolled out of bed with a groan and stretched his stiff limbs before padding to his door. He was starving and figured he’d at least try to cram some dinner in himself before figuring out what he could do to tire himself out.  Keith heard the front door close as he left his room, signifying that Shiro either just left or just came back, “Shiro?”

When no answer came, he shrugged and made his way to the kitchen. It didn’t bother him any that Shiro wasn’t there. In fact he was probably better. Still, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he wasn’t alone. The only explanation he could think of was that maybe Shiro hadn’t left at all, but Matt instead and Shiro was passed out in his room or in the living room. As soon as he got some food in him he’d check.

After an incredibly filling dinner of a protein bar and some fruit, Keith wandered back into the living room.Now that he was more awake, he noticed that there was someone sitting on his couch, and it definitely wasn’t Shiro. Blue eyes staring at him, amusement shining clear through them, “Morning, sunshine.”

Keith opened and closed his mouth, trying to make words come out, but he found nothing. Lance got off the couch and made his way over to Keith “When you didn’t come back after ten minutes, I got a little concerned. And then Hunk and Pidge both texted me that they saw you leaving. I texted Shiro and he said you came home and told me why.”

Keith frowned, “He had no business-!”

“No,” Lance cut him off, “I pressed him for the information. And I have to say, you are some kind of idiot.”

“Excuse me!?”

“You heard me. You’re an idiot. I’m a friendly person by nature Keith, and I wasn’t going to be rude and tell those girls to leave right away. I had been planning on subtly dropping that we were on a date, but you didn’t let me get to that.”

Keith sputtered, “We were on a date?!”

“Kind of?” Lance flushed, “I kind of wanted to be anyway.”

“But I thought you were mad at me still? For ignoring you, completely unintentionally.”

“Probably should be, but I’m not. If it was anyone else, I still would be, but because I  _ really _ like you, I guess you the exception.”

“You like me?”

“Yeah. Thought that was pretty obvious when I was making out with you on your couch, dude.”

Keith didn’t want to get ahead of himself, “We were drunk...I was worried it was an ‘in the moment’ kind of thing.”

“Well it wasn’t so….yeah.”

They were both standing awkwardly across from each other, faces flush and not really knowing what to do or say next. Keith was surprised that he mustered up enough courage to make the first move, which was only shuffling a little closer, but it was still a step, “Sooo if you like me, and I like you...did you maybe want to retry this date thing?”

Lance nodded his head vigorously, “I’d like that. Like a lot.”

Keith reached out and shakily took one of Lance’s equally trembling hands, “Just us this time. No setting up friends, no letting other people disturb us.”

Lance laughed, smile lighting up his face. “That sounds positively perfect.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!! Hope you enjoyed!
> 
> As always, comments and kudos are appreciated !! I thank each and every one of you for all the kind words you've left!
> 
> See you for the epilogue!


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp here it is, the last chapter!
> 
> I know this story probably wasn't what people were expecting, but I hope it was at least enjoyable
> 
> Thank you to callmesinpai for editing everything I've done thus far. She is a godsend.
> 
> To the last chapter!

“Hey Keith! Could you come help me?”

Keith groaned from his position on the couch. He was in the midst of studying for his final, and Lance knew not to bug him when he was studying. “Can’t it wait?”

“But baaaaaabe, you’re gonna love it!”

Keith sighed but got up from his comfortable space. He and Lance had been together for about a year now, and as of a month ago, they moved in together. It was the same apartment building that Keith had lived in prior, just different unit on a different floor. Matt had moved in with Shiro as soon as Keith moved out, claiming the two bedroom was perfect for his computer equipment and general nerd stuff. All in all, both couples were pretty happy with their decisions to move.

“Lance I better love it, or you’re sleeping on the couch tonight.”

“Promise you will! Now come here!”

Keith trudged over to the front door and froze at the sight of his boyfriend with two pet carriers and Hunk behind him with a large box in his arms, “What the?!”

There was a hellish angry growl from one of the carriers, one that could only belong to a specific cat. Keith crouched down and took a good look inside the carrier. Golden eyes peered back at him, “Red?”

“And Blue too! Surprise!”

Keith stood back up and looked at this beaming boyfriend, “I thought we couldn’t afford to get them?”

The price for adoption on the cats at The Five Lions was the same price as any shelter, but it was still a steep price for two university students just getting by. What’s more, Lance decided that it would be unfair if he just got Blue without Keith getting Red at the same time; even though Keith insisted it would be more than fine with him.

“Wellllllll, Allura let me pay her bit by bit, and then my parents chipped in a little bit to help get all the extras.”

“I thought we were going to do this together?” Keith didn’t like the idea of Lance paying for everything. They had agreed before moving in together that everything should be split equally between them, it was only fair that way.

“Oh there’s still more they need, so no worries there. I only got the basics,” Lance frowned, “Are you unhappy about this? I was kind of thinking it would be like an early anniversary present…”

Keith could handle Lance’s pouting face, “No no, I’m not unhappy. Just surprised is all.”

Lance was back to smiling, and Keith melted inside; he would never get used to that smile. Lance handed him Red’s cage and motioned for Keith to move back so they could all get into the apartment and close the door. Hunk placed the box in the living room with a relieved sigh, “Next time I’ll carry the cats, and you can hold the heavy box.”

“You mean when you adopt your own set of cats with Pidge?” Lance waggled his eyebrows at his best friend, causing him to blush.

Pidge and Hunk’s relationship was like something out of a fairy tale. They were the most adorable couple without even trying to be and everything they did together was amazing. They hadn’t talked about moving in, both deciding they wanted to live apart for a while longer before making such a large commitment, but things were still smooth. Matt was still a little stubborn about it from time to time, but he didn’t actively interfere with their relationship. Plus he had toned down significantly once he moved in with Shiro; and got banged more often, as Pidge teased him constantly.

“Speaking of, I’ve got a date to get ready for. See you two later.”

“Bye Hunk. Thank you for helping.”

“You’re the best friend a guy could have!” Lance chimed in, pulling Hunk into a lazy one armed hug.

Hunk laughed and rolled his eyes, hugging Lance back quick before heading out. As soon as the door shut behind Hunk, Blue started mewling loudly. Lance gasped and set down the carrier on the floor, making quick work to open the front, “I’m sorry baby Blue! I promise I didn’t forget about you!”

As soon as Blue was out of the cage, she was weaving in between Lance legs, purring loudly. Lance cooed down at her, making kissy noises as she chirped up at him. Keith chuckled under his breath. Lance around Blue was probably one of the cutest things he had ever seen in his life, and now he this was going to be an all the time thing.

A meowl distracted Keith from his enchanting boyfriend, “Sorry Red. I’ll let you out.”

Over the almost year that Keith and Lance had been together, Keith spent a lot more time at The Five Lions then before. In that time, he and Red had bonded. Once that happened, other cats came to Keith too. They never stayed long, save for Blue, but they didn’t actively avoid him like they used to. Red was pretty calm if other cats were near, but if they got too close, she let them know that Keith was  _ her _ human and they needed to back off. Keith and the others were absolutely amazed at how affectionate and protective Red had become to Keith. She had even started to warm up to other people that were on good terms with Keith; with the unfortunate exception of Allura,  who she never warmed up to. Her next favorite person was Lance, but Lance said that was probably only because he smelled like Keith.

As soon as the door to the crate was open, Red swatted at Keith’s hand and refused to move from the crate. Keith knew enough about cats to just let her be and knew she’d come out when she wanted to, “So, what’s in the box?”

“Litter box, litter, food, dishes, and a few toys. Just the basics. We’ll need to get a scratching post soon.”

“I’ll get that. I’ve been saving to get get Red anyway.”

He had told Lance he had been saving for the cats, but Lance didn’t know exactly how much. It was a fairly decent amount, so with that money aside they would be able to afford a really nice cat tree for their cats, and maybe some beds. Shiro had got Noir months ago, and Keith was determined to make sure these two cats were even more spoiled than Shiro’s; and that cat was living in the lap of luxury.

Keith opened the box and started setting up the litter box while Lance tried to set up the food dishes; which was difficult with a cat weaving in between his legs. The litter box was best in the bathroom, so that’s where Keith put it. As soon as he was out of Red’s sight though, she slunk out of her crate and followed him. She didn’t come any closer than the door, and watched him carefully as he set things up.

Red carefully made her way in the bathroom to check things out. Keith didn’t move, just watched his cat sniff everything in the room, including him. Her purrs always came out short and broken, but it was no less endearing to Keith. He didn’t try to pick her up, but made his way back to the living room in hopes she would follow. Lance was sitting on the floor, Blue in his lap, happily giggling away at the nuzzles and kitten licks he was getting from his own cat.

“I’m going back to studying now.”

“I promise I will  _ try _ not to disturb you.”

That was all Keith ever asked, and he settled back on the couch contently. Things with Lance may not be absolutely perfect, but he never needed them to be. There were small things that Lance did that Keith never knew before they moved in together, and while he was still learning new ones and adjusting, he couldn’t say they were all bad. Keith liked his quiet, while Lance always liked to have something going. Lance sang during his lengthy showers, and while he got dressed if he wasn’t going to work. He hummed while cooking, and danced around rooms as he cleaned them.

They fought, usually because they were both stubborn. Some days they didn’t talk all day if they were upset, but the next day they fixed things. They challenged each other, always making things into a contest, even when they didn’t need to be.

It maybe wasn’t a perfect relationship in the eyes of others, but that didn’t matter to either of them. It was perfect for them, and that was really all that they cared about.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The end!
> 
> Hope it was good for you all
> 
> As always, thanks for all the comments and the kudos, they mean so much to me! 
> 
> This will be my last Voltron fic as far as I know...unless something incredible happens in the later seasons. 
> 
> Thanks again!

**Author's Note:**

> I've never done a cafe Au before, and I've also never been to a cat cafe (If i want coffee and cats, I can just stay home). Done a little research and different countries allow for different things. Since this is fiction, and not really set in a set country, I'm just kind of working things out how I desire them, and works best for the story. Mostly inspired by Japan's cat cafes where it seems like the cats can be in the same area as the cafe counter.
> 
> Thank you for reading! Comments and Kudos always appreciated! 
> 
> Until next time!


End file.
